The Promise
by Shark's Fin
Summary: A deal has been set. They know that they can't avoid it, but can a Promise keep them together?
1. Prologue  The Promise

Hi all! This is my second fanfic for KWMS, and I dedicate this story for my friend, Ofe-san, who's having her birthday soon ^^

I hope you guys will enjoy reading it! :)

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**Warnings: Future fic and might be OOC in some parts. **

A little bit of explanation just to avoid confusion:

Maid sama = Author's telling story

_Maid sama = _Thoughts

'Maid sama' = Conversations

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**Disclamer: I'm only borrowing the characters of Maid-sama to make story, so I'll clearly say that I do not own Maid-sama!**

"Misaki, I have something to tell you…" Takumi said while holding her hands a little tighter than usual. They were sitting on a bench in the quiet park right after their graduation ceremony at Seika that morning. Both of them were rewarded as the honor students of Seika for scoring first and second highest exam results in the school's history. Everybody cheered on the couple, and addressed them as the strongest team that Seika ever had. It was indeed a pleasant day to celebrate. If only there was nothing weighing in his mind, they would have enjoyed that rare moment to its fullest.

Seeing a serious expression in his face, and a glint of sadness in his eyes, Misaki knew that he was going to tell her something important. She looked at him in the eyes and said. "I'm listening."

"I've been thinking about our future… And after reconsidering all of the possibilities… There's only one way to make it all work…"

Misaki listened carefully to every word he said, so she immediately noticed his difficulties in saying those words. She knew that he was extremely unskillful in dealing with situations that involved explaining things about himself. So she didn't say a word, giving him as much time as he needed to say it properly.

"I have to go to England…" He finally said, looking straight into her eyes while tightening his grip on her hands. It was the life changing decision he made after he put all of his might into thinking for the best decision he had to make.

Those words felt like a struck of lightning in her chest, leaving the pain in her heart. She wasn't able to let a single sound out of her mouth, as if it was magically disappeared before it made its way out. Silence immediately filled the air between them. Only the sound of the screeching leaves which blown away by the wind was heard as neither of them spoke. She could see his worried expression in his jade green eyes, waiting for her reaction to the things he just said. She then closed her eyes, silently accepted that the time she secretly afraid of had finally come.

She wasn't stupid. She knew that what they had at the moment was a temporary serenity before war. They were living in the shadow of his family's threat. Takumi was not an ordinary person she always encountered in her life. And that's why she had prepared herself. She knew that sooner or later, Takumi would face an inevitable choice when his family decided to intervene.

However, she knew that she could trust him. If there was something she knew about him after being that close to him, was that he always had a plan. He wouldn't do anything unnecessary, or making any move without thinking about it carefully. He had never made bad choices and nothing had ever clouded his judgment either. He was always able to get the best result out of everything he did no matter how much pressure he was in.

Nonetheless, even before she fully understood that side of his inhuman abilities, she had already believed in him. He was the man she entrusted her heart to. She, who was a man hater, and the person who was betrayed by her father, the man she trusted the most, was finally able to believe again. It was all because of Takumi's patience, honesty, respect, understanding and most of all, love, that never wore off no matter what she did or said to him. He changed her for the better, and at the same time, he made her life a whole lot more meaningful. The moment she realized it, she knew that she would never find a man that she would love more than she love him. She had never doubt him before, and she wasn't planning to start doing it now.

After some wordless moments, she took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and said. "…I understand…"

He couldn't hide his shock when he saw her unexpectedly calm reaction. But the moment he noticed those attractive golden eyes flickered in deep understanding, he knew that she had foreseen it long before. He didn't know how many times she had managed to amazed him. Never once did her fortitude waver, even in that kind of situation. Then without saying anything, he pulled her closer and hugged her tight. Misaki didn't expect it, but she stayed still in his embrace, savoring his warmth that immediately enveloped her body.

"You will come back, right?" She whispered to him.

There was a long pause, and it scared her. But before she could say something more, she heard his gentle voice in her ears. "Do you want me to?"

Misaki abruptly leaned backwards, leaving his embrace, and said to his face. "Of course I do, idiot! What do y—"

Before she could say another word, he pulled her closer to him and pressed his lips against hers in a warm and passionate kiss. Misaki's eyes widened for a moment of surprise, but then instinctively closed her eyes as the kiss deepened. Her mind went blank and all that she could think of was him and the feelings that exploded inside of her. The painful loud beating of her heart gradually became more intense as their kiss continued. It was yet the longest and the most passionate kiss they had ever shared.

And as her lungs screamed for air, she felt him slowly begin to pull away. She gasped to take as much air as she could while steadying her breath. He smiled as he looked at her crimson red face and slowly placed his right hand on her left cheek and said. "I'll definitely come back to you no matter what… I promise…"

Misaki looked deep into his emerald eyes and without doubt, there she saw determination and honesty, then she nodded. "Then I'll wait for you… No matter what."

His expression softened when he heard it, there was no words that would express how grateful and relieved he was. Then he pulled her again into his embrace and caressed her head dearly. "Thank you, Misaki…" He kissed the top of her head sweetly, hoping that it would tell her a bit of how much he loved her and how thankful he was to have her.

A few moments later, he leaned backwards to rest his back on the bench, pulling her closer to his chest by holding her shoulder with his left hand. His right hand entwined with her left hand on her lap while moving his gaze to the sky above. After some brief moment of silence, he decided to explain to her about his sudden decision to leave Japan.

"About my decision to go to England…" He paused.

"…I had a deal with my family…"

Misaki lifted up her head, couldn't believe what she just heard. He lowered his head and their eyes met. She had so many things to ask him in her mind, but she kept silent, waiting for his further explanation.

"I can't really explain much about it… It is part of the deal… But I need to tell you that… we will not be able to see each other for three years… and… we can't have any contact within that period…"

Misaki froze. Her mind couldn't think of anything. She needed time to adjust to the words he just said. She didn't know what kind of deal he had, but she knew that if he agreed to that kind of condition, then it must be involving something that really mattered to him.

"I know I'm asking too much, and I am being selfish… I will understand if you can't accept it…" He continued, worried expression plastered on his handsome face.

But then Misaki gave him a piercing stare and shouted while clutching his shirt tightly. "Are you stupid? Didn't you hear what I said just now! I said I'll wait for you no. matter. what! And I mean it! Do you think _that_ will make me give up on you! Never!"

Takumi's eyes widened as his face formed a shock expression by the unexpected outburst, but then it gradually shifted to a breathtaking smile that melted her heart at once. "Really… Misaki… I always wonder how you are always able to make me so amazed…" He said while pulling out his hand and cupped her face.

"I didn't know what had I done to deserve you…" he added, and then he moved closer to her and slowly kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Misaki…"

Misaki's face gradually flushed hard by the touch of his lips on her forehead, even though the kiss lasted only for a few seconds. She didn't back away like she usually did whenever he confessed his feelings bluntly to her. Instead, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him with all her might.

"I love you too… Takumi…"

The edges of Takumi's lips twitched, forming an adorable thrilling smile. He was extremely happy when he heard the words that rarely escaped her mouth even though they were already in a relationship for a year. It was indeed a pleasant surprise, and was exactly what he needed right at the moment.

"Thank you, Misaki…" He whispered to her ear while placing his arms around her waist and tightened their embrace. They hugged each other so tight, as neither one of them wanted to let go.

But just like every other thing in this world, it couldn't last forever. A few minutes later, they slowly pulled away.

"When… are you leaving?" Misaki asked, this time without looking at him.

"… Tomorrow…" Takumi slowly said. He knew that no matter how he tried to tell her about it, he would end up breaking her heart, the last thing that he would ever do to her, but it was the reality that he needed to be clear about. They didn't have much time left.

Misaki bowed her head. She couldn't help but thinking about how soon they were going to be apart, and suddenly she couldn't hold her tears anymore. She scolded herself in her mind for being so damn weak. She had never shown anyone that side of her before, not even to him. She tried to turn away and hide it from Takumi, but as soon as she pulled away her hand from his, Takumi placed his hands on each side of her face and looked deeply into her eyes. He slowly brushed away her tears with his thumbs while holding up her face to take a good look at her. Then he smiled and spoke to her softly.

"Misaki… Let's just consider this as a test… And if we pass, we'll know that we are meant to be together…"

She caught the sight of unshaken determination in his eyes, which silently told her that he would never disappoint her. Then she smiled back at him, believing that the day when they meet again, it would be the best day of her life.

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Extra

"Misaki, seeing your adorable crying face for the first time, I've got to tell you that it makes me want to…"

He moved closer to her and whispered the remaining words in her ears, and abruptly her face reddened with embarrassment and anger, mixed together. Then blood vessels appeared on the top of her head as she shouted.

"STUPID PERVERTED OUTER SPACE ALIEN!"

Takumi smiled when he heard she shouted his favorite nick name she created only for him.

_I'm gonna miss this so much, Misa-chan…._

_To be continued…._

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Well, I know that it was too long for Prologue, but I hope you guys will bear with me :p I can't stop adding in more details when I read it through LOL XD

I'm sorry in advance for spelling and grammar mistakes in the story, I'll be very pleased if you will point it out, so I can correct it right away ^^

So how's your opinion about this chapter? I hope it will make you guys want to read the next chapter, titled "The Deal".

If you guys don't mind, please review. I'll warmly welcome any kinds of opinion from you! :D

**Ofe-san** Is this close to what you were thinking when I said I'm going to give you a surprise? XD

Thank you guys for reading!

Wish u all a wonderful week!

-Fin-


	2. The Deal

First of all, I really want to thank you guys for reading and reviewing the first chapter. I really didn't expect that I'll have 10+ reviews for the Prologue. I'm sooooo damn happy! Thanks a whole lot for the supports, I hope you guys will enjoy this second chapter! :)

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'**Maid sama' = **Speaking in English

**Disclaimer: Nope, I still do not own Maid-Sama!**

**-The Deal-**

Takumi was walking boringly towards the gate of Seika High. Unlike usual, he was walking alone. He didn't accompany Misaki to Maid Latte that day because she was having a day off. It was two days before their school's graduation ceremony, and Misaki was helping the student council to carry out the preparation for the big day. Although she wasn't the president anymore since she handed the position down to Kanou during her third year, she was still helping the student council whenever she could.

He was being sent home by Misaki because his appearance distracted a lot of the female students from doing the preparation activities. Although all of the students of Seika knew their relationship, but it didn't stop the girls from cheering and blushing whenever he was around. Not that he had problems with it, but Misaki found it annoying as less work was done because the girls were too busy looking at him that some of them forgot what they should be doing. Moreover, the inconvenient feelings she had when she looked at their enthusiasms towards her boyfriend made her difficult to concentrate on doing her own work. She wouldn't admit it, but Takumi surely knew it right away.

So when she asked him 'nicely' to just go home without her, he agreed without further complaints. Well, apart from asking her to kiss him before he went home, which earned him an extra punch on the head before she finally kissed him in the end. He chuckled when he remembered her cute expression when she addressed him as a perverted outer space alien, a nickname she came up with to describe his perverseness and inhuman abilities, after he took the chance to drag her to a more intimate kiss when he kissed her back.

But his thought about her was interrupted when he was halfway through the front gate. His expression suddenly hardened and he stopped walking when he noticed that someone was waiting for him.

"**Good afternoon, Mr. Takumi**." A man in black suit was bowing politely towards Takumi. He was holding open the door of a piano black limo which was parked near the gate. The man looked like a foreigner and judging from the way he talked, he wasn't familiar with Japanese language.

"**What business brings you here, Edward?"** Takumi answered him fluently. He seemed to know the guy, but not in a friendly way.

"**I was assigned to escort you to the Walker house this evening. Please step inside the car, Mr. Takumi." **He answered him in a very formal way and his movement was flawlessly polite.

Takumi was trying to figure out what was the purpose of his sudden appearance, although he didn't show it in his face. He knew although that man was the senior personal assistant slash head of bodyguards of the Walkers, there's no way that he would be informed about the reason why he was assigned to do anything. That's how it worked in _their_ family, and Takumi knew it perfectly well that it's useless to try to drag any information out of him. The only way to find out about it was to follow him to the house.

"**Very well then." **Takumi said while walking towards the limo without saying anything more.

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Takumi was standing in front of a huge mahogany door inside the Walker house. His eyes lingered for a moment on the unusual size of the door. From its appearance, he knew that it led to a private room that he had never seen before. It was located on the top-most floor and it seemed to be in a restricted area of the house. Edward was standing beside him, knocking the door. A few seconds later, the pair of double doors swung open. A tall, brown-haired man in black suit stood there. He looked slightly younger than Edward and as he recognized Takumi, he greeted him while holding the door open and moved aside to allow them to enter the room.

They were looking at a big and luxurious room filled with restored Victorian furniture and a huge desk located at the other end of the room. Takumi noticed someone was sitting on a leather chair that was facing its back to them behind the desk.

"**He is here, sir." **Edward talked to the man behind the desk while placing a pile of documents on the desk.

The man raised his hand and waved without turning to them. With that, Edward and the other man bowed to him and walked out the door. By the time they closed the door behind them, silence immediately filled the spacious room. Takumi didn't make any sound, waiting for any kind of movement from the man in front of him.

A few moments later, the man finally turned around and subsequently two pairs of emerald green eyes met.

"**It's been a long time, Takumi." **The old man behind the desk spoke to Takumi with a firm voice as his eyes observing the young man closely. His green eyes were like Takumi's, but they had none of Takumi's warmth. They were cold and empty, made you think of dark tunnels. His mere sight alone was enough to send shivers to anyone he was facing. He had a gift of keeping the people whom he talked to silent without effort.

"**Yes… Grandfather."** Takumi said. No element of surprise in his tone when he finally came across the most influential man in the Walker's family.

"**I see now… You are not surprised to see me… Then I guess you know what I am here for?"** He folded his arms on the desk, leaning a little bit forward to listen to Takumi's answer.

"**Is it to properly inform me about what **_**they**_** did lately?" **Takumi said firmly, implying to the intense 'investigations' over him for the past few months.

"**And why would I do that?"**

"…**Because you knew that I need a reason before agreeing to any terms that you are about to tell me."**

The edges of the old man's lips deepened, satisfied by Takumi's answer. **"So I heard that you're some kind of a genius, I guess **_**they**_** aren't exaggerating."**

Takumi said nothing. His expression didn't change despite of the flattering words that were surprisingly come out from his mouth because he knew better that it wasn't that genuine.

"**Then I'll leave out the unnecessary talk and go straight to the main point. Are you aware of the situation you are in right now?"** The grandfather's voice sent silent daggers toward Takumi. The air got intense immediately.

"**I'm fully aware that I am not in the path that you and the family decided for me recently. But I failed to understand why the sudden change of plan."**

"**Which is exactly why you are here now. I am going to make everything clear once and for all."**

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"**For starter, do you know why I gave you permission to enter a public high school?" **He asked Takumi while gesturing him to sit on the chair in front of him.

Takumi sat on the appointed chair and looked straight at his grandfather while answering. **"…Because I asked for that as a means for preparing me to enter the world of the commoner and live on my own."**

"**That part was true, but you're missing the other part." **

Takumi gave him a slightly startled look, but he brushed it off immediately. His mind was thinking hard, but nonetheless, he felt like he wasn't going to find the answer without any extra information. **"So there was another part of it… I guess I wasn't informed about that one too."**

"**It's necessary to make it work. The main intention was to let you experience the difference between **_**our**_** world and **_**their**_** world with your own eyes, and ending your **_**childish**_** dream to cut your ties with us forever."**

For the first time since he entered the door of the house, he felt clueless. He didn't expect his family would prepare such a dirty plan by manipulating his wish to live a plain and normal life. Suddenly it all made sense. Why they didn't allow him to do part time jobs and continued to provide support for his daily needs. It was then in that very moment that he realized, _they_ had no intention to let him go from the very beginning. It was all lies. He started to laugh at his own naivety for believing those thoughts even though he realized that something was utterly wrong when they agreed to his request to leave the house so easily. But he tried to keep calm and undisturbed as he spoke.

"**So you think that after I realized that I won't fit into **_**that**_** world, I'll desperately come back to the house on my own decision?"**

"**Naturally, yes. Since you were restricted from telling anyone about your circumstances, it's obvious that you won't be making friends that easily, and considering the fact that your abilities exceeded their finest in every aspect, certainly you will feel bored by the lack of challenges. So everything went according to the plan, and it's only a matter of time until you realized that you were wasting your time here. Until something came across and ruined everything." **He stopped, and his expression darkened as he was smothering his anger.

"**That little girl of yours." **He added, purposely emphasizing the last part.

Takumi's upper body jerked upright on the chair, his hands tightened his grip on the armrest, and his expression stiffened as he heard him mentioning her. He couldn't help but feeling the silent threat towards Misaki in his grandfather's tone.

It didn't go unnoticed. A mysterious smile gradually appeared on the old man's wrinkled but gracious face, as if expecting Takumi's reaction. **"Well… Well… Well… For the first time, I saw emotions coming from you. How interesting. Then it's true… That girl is important to you." **

Takumi didn't say anything. He knew that it's useless to deny it. He must have known everything from his reaction just now.

"**Now that I'm certain about it, we can get down to business."**

Takumi looked at him, confused. He really couldn't predict his grandfather's intention on him and Misaki. **"What do you mean?"**

"**I'll offer you a deal." **He said calmly.

Takumi gave him a cold look. He knew that something like that should come out eventually sooner or later. His grandfather was a solid leader in the business world. To him, everything in this world could be seen as business transactions, in which he was an expert for winning every single one of it. However, considering their current situation, Takumi had no choice but to listen to his offer.

"**You should perfectly understand by now about my animosity towards your mere existence." **He paused, staring at Takumi, as if expecting some reaction from him. But when he saw that Takumi was as calm as his usual self, he then continued.

"**But I recognize talent when I see one. Ever since you were a child, I've seen something in you, the things that I expected to be seen in Gerard. That's why although I made it look like we're ditching you when you were sent to the Usui's, I provided you with the best educations anyone can get. And you didn't disappoint me either."**

Takumi listened silently to everything his grandfather said without changing his expression. That information was new to him. He could finally understand why he received English education although he had been adopted by the Usui family. He began to wonder how many more secrets his grandfather held from him, so he decided to go along with the current state while thinking of any possible reasons behind his sudden revelation.

"**The only problem was your constant resistance to follow orders, although you always succeed to get away by deceiving my people with your convincing act. So I decided to make use of your sole inclination to sever any kind of connection you have with us and shattered it into pieces right before your eyes."**

Takumi's anger started to explode from inside of him, but he wasn't planning to show it to that old man. He knew that he needed to win this battle. And it included restraining any kind of emotions that would make things easier for his grandfather. So Takumi continued to show his composed face, as if unaffected by those assaulting words.

His grandfather seemed a bit annoyed by Takumi's lack of reaction, but silently amazed by his ability to control his emotions. It made him more interested to win him over. It had been a long time since he encountered such an exciting opponent. He then continued his elaboration while watching him closely.

"**But then I received unpleasant news that you were **_**involved**_** with that low-class girl** **from that cunning heir of Igarashi family. They stated clearly that they knew who you are and offered us help to set you two apart by transferring you to his school. **He paused to make a sarcastic laugh.

"**But I knew better what kind of people are **_**they**_**. I saw it as a future threat if you are to be kept within **_**their**_** grasp, but in the mean time, I need their service. So I agreed to their offer while at the right moment, interjecting my own plan."**

The last part of his grandfather's explanation startled him. He secretly impressed by his distinguished vision of the whole situation even without being there. Although he knew that his grandfather didn't become the most feared opponent in the whole business world without reason, still he wouldn't have understood it to that extent if he didn't experience it himself. Then for the first time in the last fifteen minutes of their talk, he spoke.

"**I'm glad that I'm not the only one who had seen through Igarashi's ill intention. So is that why you didn't simply force me to transfer, but instead you let **_**them**_** do it their way?" **

"**Indeed. And I am absolutely sure that they won't succeed. Believe it or not, boy, I knew your character. The more you're forced to do something, the more you'll counter it back, and my plan won't work out if you don't come to us willingly."**

"**So I'm guessing that's where you sent your pawns?" **Takumi said with sarcastic tone.

The old man laughed coldly all of a sudden when he heard Takumi's words. He was evidently impressed by Takumi's quick reasoning. **"I have expected that you'll notice it. That's right. I sent Gerard to see you and ordered him to bring you back with him, but I forbid him from doing anything reckless, which he usually did during important moments, that boy…" **He sighed, a slight disappointment in his tone, but he brushed it away quickly.** "As you can see, it didn't work out the way I want it, so I have no choice but to settle the deal myself." **

"**I've got it so far, but there's one more thing that I need to clarify…" **Takumi looked at his grandfather, waiting for his consent, and as he nodded in approval, Takumi continued speaking. **"As one of the largest and influential company in the world, Walker Corp already has a lot of talented people, but why do you bother to take that much effort just to claim me?"**

Takumi's grandfather sat still. It was the core question which he knew that young man was eager to know. An unpleasant silence immediately filled the air as he didn't momentarily reply to Takumi's question. The old man leaned backwards to the chair and moved his gaze to the ceiling, devising his answer carefully.

Takumi didn't bother to disturb him, so he waited patiently for his answer. Looking at the old man at that moment, Takumi felt something different. The grandfather he knew was always cold and strong, like nothing would ever tear him down. But tonight, the old man looked somehow almost vulnerable, which didn't make any sense to him.

"**Well, I guess you should know the truth." **Suddenly Takumi's grandfather broke the silence. **"I was bothered about the future of the company, and our family name. I won't be around forever to take care of the business, but before I hand it down, I need to be assured that someone competent will take over it. Ironically, I can't seem to find the suitable person in the current family line. Although I refused to admit it before, but the way I see it now, your ability exceeded every potential people I came across."**

Takumi tried to say something but was stopped by his grandfather's outstretched hand. He then continued his speech. **"I know you will say something like… You are an illegitimate child, why am I willing to risk tainting the family's reputation and such. Is that right?"**

Takumi was speechless by his grandfather's sharp appraisal. He didn't manage to say a single word, so he nodded instead.

"**If you are aware of the current situation, you will understand why I choose to tell this to you right now. It seems that the Igarashi group is planning to make some arrangement with my business rival to jeopardize my company's reputation regarding your existence. I am not the type of person who concedes defeat over that kind of threat!" **The old man abruptly lost his cool as anger took over him. His face reddened and his right hand clenched to a fist as he stood up.

"**I have decided to announce it in my own way before they even have the chance to make any kind of move. But before that, I need to settle things with you. Although I saw a huge potential in you, I will need your total dedication before I proceed with the plan. So here is the deal. You will come with me to England and learn to be my apprentice for three years. If within that period you can show me that you have the real competence, then I will appoint you to be my heir."**

Takumi stood up. **"You made that arrangement without even bothering whether I want it or not. To be honest, I don't care about any of that! With all due respect, I don't want to be your apprentice and your heir. Now, please excuse me." **He turned around and headed to the door.

"**Oh really? Do you think you can ignore this? If you still think about you and your girl's future, don't you dare walk out that door!" **His grandfather's voice echoed in that spacious room and Takumi stopped his movement immediately.

The voice continued. **"Do you think you can survive without us? Do you even think that you can protect that girl and give her a decent life by turning your back on us? No. You don't even have the power to protect yourself! What will you gain by going against us? Only endless sufferings and you will drag down the girl that you love with you, along with her entire family. On the other hand, if you decided to be smart and accept the deal, you will soon have the power that you need to make everything possible. I only give you this one chance. This is the best offer you are ever going to get. Think about it wisely."**

His grandfather then walked to him and handed him the documents that was lying on the desk before. **"This contains everything you need to prepare before going to England, including your ticket. I'll meet you at the airport three days from now. If you don't show up, I'll assume that you decided to turn the deal down and you are ready for everything that will come after that. And one more thing, if you decided to come with me, do not tell anything to that girl and I won't allow any kind of communication between you two. In return, I'll make things easier for her and her family."**

Takumi scanned the document he had on his hands. He honestly didn't know what to do at the moment, but he knew that his grandfather only gave him that kind of proposal because he needed him, and considering his usual way of doing things, that deal was rather generous. He was going to bet on it.

"**As much as your offer seems very alluring, but I see no point in agreeing to it. You don't understand me at all, grandfather. She is the only one that I won't give up for anything. Do you think I don't know that you are only trying to separate us under the disguise of such a deal?"**

The grandfather felt his blood boiling, hearing his illegitimate grandson insulting him. **"How dare you question my intention, you filthy little boy! I will never think of something such sickening as considering you to be the heir of the Walkers if it's not because of his—" **He stopped momentarily as he realized that he was spilling unnecessary fact that would ruin everything once and for all. He then tried to cover it by clearing his throat and trying to act like nothing happened.

Takumi secretly expected that kind of reaction as it was his intention from the start. He finally saw a glimpse of truth behind their long talk just now. He actually didn't think that his grandfather would reveal it that soon, but he knew that even if that old man was the most brilliant person in the world, the likelihood of losing something most important to him would definitely shake him up and corrupt his brilliant mind eventually, depending on how he was lured.

"**So I guess, there is something more about this deal too, I suppose, Grandfather?" **He paused to hear what his grandfather had to say about his sarcastic question. As the old man shot him a disgusting look without saying anything, Takumi knew that he hit the right spot.

"**I could care less of the details, but it doesn't change the fact that whatever that is, either you tell it to me now or I'll figure it out soon, it was in a state of urgency. So now that both of us are aware of it, it won't be hard to acknowledge its influence to the deal you offered just now." **Takumi said coldly.

The old man straightened up, moving his hands to the back while clenching it tightly behind him. For the first time, he felt like being pushed to a corner, which made him mad. **"What do you have in your slithery mind, boy?"**

"**A second deal." **Takumi simply said.

_To be continued…._

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Yupz! That's a wrap for The Deal!

I hope it's long enough to make you guys satisfied and short enough to not make you guys bored :)

So what do you guys think? Please leave me your reviews, I'll be very happy to read your opinions about my story ^^

The next chapter is titled "The Second Deal – Revelation"

I hope this chapter will still make you guys want to read more!

See you all around!

-Fin-


	3. The Second Deal  Revelation

**Hey guys! So sorry for a veeeeery late update. So many things going on, but I guess I don't need to go into details. I wanted to say thanks to everyone for reading my previous chapter and telling me their opinions about it. Thanks so much! So this is the update, please enjoy! **

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**Warnings: OOC-ness bound to happen, please be prepared.**

'**Maid sama' = **Conversation in English

**Disclaimer: I still wish I own Maid-sama, but sadly no… I don't, and never will.**

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"**What makes you think that you are in the position of being able to offer me a deal?" **The old man growled, annoyed by Takumi's challenging words.

Takumi wasn't affected by his underestimating tone. He looked straight into his grandfather's piercing eyes and spoke. **"I'll give you three reasons. First, you tried to make me believe that preparing me to be your heir was all part of your big plan, which turned out differently. I won't be suspicious if you didn't let your emotion took the best of you in the last bit, but it showed me how important it is to you that you tried to hide the truth. Second, the fact that you are trying to make me decide in just three days showed me how hasty it was. Last, even clearer, seeing you here in person can only mean that this matter is very urgent that you won't risk wasting any more time by sending someone else. So based on everything that I see today, I can only conclude that looking at the whole situation, a quick agreement needs to be settled, and the best way to reach it is to consider an advantageous solution for both."**

"**Don't think too highly of yourself! Do you think I won't easily ruin you and your girl's life right at this very moment or simply take you away by force? You should be grateful that I didn't do that instead of being such a big headed boy!"**

"**Both of us knew that you are capable of doing any of those things, but I know better that you knew how unfavorable it will be. It won't solve any of your problems, if not making it worse, so that's why I'm offering you a better way to settle things without involving any kind of damage. I will appreciate it if you will listen to what I'm going to say before disagreeing so openly."**

The old man stayed still for a while. He knew that his pride wouldn't allow him to simply agree to his illegitimate grandson's wish, but he couldn't deny that the young man's words held indisputable truth. He should consider the best option that would give him the best result. That was his goal after all.

Then after thinking about it for some moments, at last, he was convinced that there was nothing to lose if he would listen to what he was going to offer before he decided otherwise, so he replied with an unsatisfied tone albeit his understanding over the truth of Takumi's words. **"I will hear it, but if I don't like the sound of any part of it, don't you think that I will even bother to listen to the rest."**

The grandfather turned to sit on his leather chair behind the huge desk, back to his earlier position, and at the same time gesturing Takumi to do the same.

Takumi simply nodded and sat back to the chair in front of his grandfather and then started speaking. **"I'm aware that we have different goals in this situation, but none will benefit from continuing this act of pulling the already strained thread. I believe that you won't even bother to come here by yourself if it's not because of your concern over the future of your business, as you stated earlier. And even though I have yet to confirm about Gerard's inability to be the successor of the company, the fact that you are considering me to fill in that position is enough to tell me that he **_**probably**_** will not be around for some time."**

Takumi stopped, waiting for his grandfather's reaction. The old man raised his brow while looking at Takumi. Even though he would never admit it, he agreed that Takumi's ability to analyze things impressed him. He was gradually interested to know what Takumi had in mind at the moment. So he didn't stop him, no, he wanted to hear more.

"**Continue." ** He simply said to Takumi.

Takumi then added. **"To be honest with you, I'm tired of the uncertainty that had been fed up to me ever since I was a child. So I appreciate your way of inviting me here and offer me a deal. This is the first time I get to see the real intention, and at the same time it showed me how important this matter is to you. So assuming that my outlook over the whole situation is true, I guess there's no use to waste any more time to force each other's better judgment. That's why to make things easier for you and me, I'm offering you a mutual agreement. I will agree to your offer earlier, if you will agree to mine." **

The grandfather kept his silent treatment. He was thinking about the words Takumi just said. Even though he thought that he was still on a more powerful position to ignore everything he said, but he knew that it would be more favorable if Takumi came to him willingly. It would make so many things easier and the result would be much better, not to mention it would make the problems faster to overcome. **"I will hear what you have in mind, but do not assume that I will agree to it."**

"**Fair enough." **Takumi answered. **"First, I'll promise to do all I can to learn from you and take care of the business, but I will not always follow your instructions, I will decide my own actions and take responsibility for each of it. Second, I will be free to decide everything related to my private life under any kind of circumstances, meaning I won't be forced into marriage or anything of that sort. And lastly, you will not do any harm or attempt to do it in any way to Misaki and her family, as well as her friends and colleagues."**

"**Do you seriously think that I will agree to that kind of things?" **The old man's expression got colder, and his voice sent unpleasant feeling towards Takumi.

Takumi tried to ignore the effect of his grandfather's sudden pressure on him. He attempted to be as calm as possible while he responded. **"Can't hurt the chance, can I?"**

"… **You sure have guts. Nobody talked to me like that, young man." **His mood darkened as an intimidating aura that was coming from him got stronger by the minute. **"You seem very certain that you are capable enough to meet my standard, don't you? Then what if you failed because you won't listen to my instructions?"**

"**Then I will give up struggling and listen to your every instruction from then on." **Takumi said earnestly.

"**Huh… Not only you have guts, you are an arrogantly confident person." **Suddenly, incompatible to his rough words, the old man smiled for an unknown reason, but he seemed satisfied. He started to take interest to the young man he used to despise a lot ever since he was born who he didn't care to get to know even though he had so many years to do it. It was such an irony that the will to do just that suddenly emerged during such moment. It was then driving him to make a decision that was unexpected by both of them.

"…**It's a deal."**

The grandfather's agreement felt unreal to Takumi's ears. He couldn't believe his grandfather would agree to his conditions all of a sudden. He was speechless by that unexpected outcome.

"**Do you mean…"** was all that came out from Takumi's mouth a few seconds later.

"**You heard what I said. We've reach our agreement. Isn't that what you want?"**

"…**Yes…" **Takumi didn't know what else to say. He was still digesting their last conversation which was too unexpected that it felt like something that was only happening in his imagination. He really wasn't sure how to react.

"**Good. Now… Since we've reach this point, I'll tell you what happened…" **The grandfather stood up and walked slowly toward the huge glass window behind the chair he sat on before. He held open the long curtain that was blocking his view over the window. Glancing on the scenery outside the window, he unconsciously gripped the fabric a little too tight as he continued his explanation. **"Gerard is in no condition to run the company. He is…" **He slowly let go a sigh, losing his effortless control over his tough appearance as he turned around to face Takumi. **"Have you ever heard of Dilated Cardiomyopathy*?"**

"**DCM? Enlargement of the heart? Do you mean Gerard is having a DCM?"** Takumi was too shocked, he didn't realize that he was already standing, eyeing his grandfather in an utmost surprise. Honestly, Takumi was ready if his grandfather would say that Gerard was sick and he needed time to recover, therefore he needed a replacement, but he didn't expect that his illness is something that would endanger Gerard's life.

He finally understood why his grandfather was so persistent with the idea of having him back to Walker's family. The fate of the business and The Walker's name both lied within the sole successor who was in such imperil condition. The past ignominy behind Takumi's existence was no longer big of a problem if compared to such circumstances. As much as he despised the family who had alienated him for his entire life, Takumi wasn't the type of person who would be careless on such a painful state.

"…**How severe is his condition?"** Takumi asked.

"**He experienced significant symptoms and collapsed a few times although the doctors claimed that at this stage, it will not endanger his life. But they need to run a few more tests to confirm the diagnosis because the disease is passed genetically from his father and therefore the risk of complications is higher. Do you understand now? With his current condition, he won't be eligible to be in charge of the company. You, as the Walker's only direct descendant left besides Gerard is next in the line."**

Takumi fell silent. With this new fact, there was no doubt that fate had brought him closer to his worst nightmare and at the same time, sending him away from the only place he wanted to be. From the only person he wanted to be with. _Misaki… _

The grandfather watched Takumi intensely, sensing his apprehensiveness heightened. **"You seem troubled." **The old man commented.

The grandfather's voice awakened Takumi from his reverie. He looked up to his grandfather and found him standing not too far from where he was standing, scanning him with his sharp eyes.

"…**and I know exactly the source of your hesitation. Obviously the only thing that's running through your mind in the entire time you are here is that girl. I am warning you, such an ordinary girl will not be a match for you, even if I don't interfere with your private life. I assume you know what I'm talking about."**

Takumi knew exactly what his grandfather was implying. Tora Igarashi had made it very clear when he used his flawless act to lured Misaki into developing a conclusion that the rich and the poor will not have any chance of being together. That's why his grandfather agreed to his requirement, because he was sure that the gap between their status would set them apart even without his help. Such thought was bound to occur in one's mind because of so many examples.

Takumi had never ignored the veracity of that thought, but he refused to give up. What he and Misaki had was too valuable to be abandoned. It was worth the fight. So he decided, even though they will be apart for the moment, his faith remained. He believed in their relationship, and most importantly, he believed in her. It was enough to keep him going.

"**Grandfather… There is something you don't understand…"** Takumi paused, then a smile occurred on his handsome face for the first time since he stepped inside the house. **"In my eyes, she is my only match…"**

-|φ|-

"Hey… Idiot Takumi… What are you doing?" Misaki was putting her hands in repeating motion in front of the stoned Takumi, who was sitting on a couch while staring blankly to the space inside his high rise apartment.

Takumi snapped as he heard Misaki's voice, which suddenly transported him back to the present. "Ah… It's… Nothing…" He was acting like someone who just awoke from a long deep sleep.

"You asked me to help you with the packing, and you said you are doing nothing?" Misaki's demonic aura leveled up as he put both of her hands on each side of her waist, annoyed by Takumi's plain answer.

Takumi pulled her into his lap all of a sudden, then enveloping her petite body from behind. Then he whispered to her left ear while tightening his embrace over his girlfriend's strained body. "I'm sorry, please pardon my disturbed mind just now… You aren't angry, right? Misa-chan…"

His soft voice made her shivers as his hot breath blew her neck. _You're doing it again, you knew I can't be angry with you if you're like this, uh… damn pervert Takumi! _

Misaki didn't answer but when Takumi looked at her flushing hot face as she bowed her head to cover it, he already knew the answer. He smiled on her cute awkwardness whenever he made his move on her that didn't change even though they were already a couple. She just couldn't get used to his touch and passionate expressions. She was this one of a kind type of girl, and he couldn't deny that it made her very attractive in his eyes.

He then buried his face in her raven hairs while placing a chaste kiss on her shoulder. His act tensed up her body even more and as expected, she started struggling to break free from his tight grip. He didn't let her go, he tightened his embrace even more instead, but careful enough to not hurt her. Takumi rest his chin on her shoulder, and said.

"Please pardon me for one more thing, Misaki… For lying to you…"

_To be continued…._

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*Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a condition in which the heart's ability to pump blood is decreased because the heart's main pumping chamber, the left ventricle, is enlarged and weakened; this causes a decreased ejection fraction (the amount of blood pumped out with each heart beat)

Ahhh what a loooooong journey to finish this chapter. I hope you guys like it. Pardon me for mistakes that may be more than usual as I don't have time to really proofread it more than once. I will really appreciate it if you will point out my mistakes so when I get back to it, I'll be able to correct it right away :)

With things going on recently at work, I won't be able to update like I usually do, so please be patient with me, I'll update when I have more time. I'm really sorry for this, but I'll update my progress on my profile if you guys wanna know :D

Sorry for the lack of TakuMisaki moment in these last two chapters, I promise in the next chapter there will be more of them. Next chapter will be titled "The Goodbye".

If you don't mind, please review, it will encourage me more to write ^^

Good days to you all!

-Fin-

March 27, 2011.


	4. The Goodbye

Dear all readers, Thanks a lot for reading and telling me your opinions about my story, I deeply appreciated your constant supports! I'm dedicating this longest chapter in the story for **OTAKU911** aka **Fan-chan**, my beloved friend who's going to celebrate her birthday this month. Thanks for inspiring me to write stories… This is for you, Fan-chan! ^^

Have a pleasant reading :)

**Warning: As you guys probably noticed, I'm changing the rating to T, because of some "moments" in this chapter, just to be on a save side And it's a long chapter, please be prepared :D**

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**Disclamer: I had a long dream where I own Maid-sama, but when I woke up, I realize that it was just a dream and will never come true *sigh***

_Flashback from the previous chapter…_

_He then buried his face in her raven hairs while placing a chaste kiss on her shoulder. His act tensed up her body even more and as expected, she started struggling to break free from his tight grip. He didn't let her go, he tightened his embrace even more instead, but careful enough to not hurt her. Takumi rest his chin on her shoulder, and said. _

"_Please pardon me for one more thing, Misaki… For lying to you…"_

_End of flashback…_

Misaki's expression changed in an instant. She turned her head to face him in confusion. "What do you mean? You're lying? About what?"

"Will you promise me that you won't be mad if I tell you?" He replied in his usual stony expression while leaning backwards, loosening his grip on her waist.

Misaki moved to sit on his side to get a better look at him, hoping to find any hint from his expression, but she found none. She hated it when he made that kind of expression, it was impossible to read what was going on in his mind. Although he had been her closest person for the last one year, Takumi remained an enigma for her.

There were some moments when she thought that she could finally understand him, but after a few seconds, she lost it again. She always wondered, was it because she didn't pay enough attention to him or he was just simply someone who was hard to read? But most of the time, she ended up making a conclusion that he was simply a perverted alien, which was why she would never fully understand him.

Now, of all time, he showed off that kind of face yet again and she knew that she would never be able to decipher him, so she sighed and gave up. "Fine, I won't be mad. What did you lie for?"

"I said that I want you to come here to help me with the packing, but the truth is… I don't need it."

"What do you mean by you don't need it?" She asked curiously.

"_They_ said that _they_ have prepared everything for me there, so I don't need to bring anything from here. It's not like I own anything in here anyway… _Except you_…" At the last two words, his signature grin plastered perfectly on his gorgeous face.

The hidden meaning of his words and his handsome features altogether worked all too well to successfully making Misaki's heartbeat rattled twice faster than its usual speed, which quickly sent an increasing heat to her face that appeared beautifully on her cheeks in the form of pink blush.

"I…Idiot! I… I don't recall saying that I'm yours!" Her pink blush turned to a bright red as she stuttered her protest over his statement.

"Mm… Really? Then… Do you want to?" His emerald green eyes glinted mischievously, in contrast to his sweet innocent face.

"S…Stop saying such things, Pervert! Then what am I doing here if you don't want me to help you packing?" She asked, intentionally changing the topic.

"Is it wrong for wishing to spend my last day here alone with my girlfriend?" Takumi pulled out his right hand to slowly caress her smooth jet-black hair. His fingers played with her hair as he observed her beautiful golden eyes sparkled, flattered by his sweet words.

"N…Not that it was wrong, but… Why didn't you just ask?"

"I guess I was afraid that you won't agree if I ask you to spend the night with me here…"

"Silly… Why do you think so? I won't mind… Wait… Wha… What did you say?" Her face flushed furiously and uncontrollably as her mind finally digested his last words.

"So you don't mind? Geez… I should have asked you directly in the first place. It would have saved me from this guilt." He smiled as he was intentionally letting her denseness moved the conversation to a whole different direction.

"N…No! I… I didn't mean it like that! I…I didn't hear it right just now… I mean… I…" She stuttered as she desperately tried to withdraw her spilled words. Her flushed face got more severe as she continued struggling to explain her misunderstanding, but her remaining words melted away as she felt Takumi's warm hands holding her own.

"It's okay, Misaki… No need to explain it. I understand… Sorry for teasing you like that..." He smiled warmly in understanding, then he softly let go of her hands, and ruffled her head as he stood up.

"Now that you are here, I'll make something for dinner before I send you home. It's my last chance to cook for my girlfriend, isn't it?" He laughed a little, trying to sound cheery, but Misaki could feel the obvious sadness in his tone.

She just couldn't stand seeing him in that state, then as Takumi walked away from her, suddenly, she found the courage to release her suppressed feelings. She grabbed his hand before he could take another step. Takumi abruptly stopped his movement and turned around to face her.

Misaki's face was concealed by her jet-black locks as she spoke without looking at him. "Takumi… The truth is… I… I want to spend every last minute we have left together… I was just… confused… I was afraid to let myself being too carried away by this feeling… But… honestly… I just want to be with you…" Her grip on his hand tightened as she spoke, fighting the forming liquids in the back of her eyes from coming out.

Takumi's expression softened. He knew that it was a very hard thing to do for her. She wasn't the type of girl who would easily express her feelings in words. That's why he could understand her adversity to utter what she said just now. He moved closer to hold her trembling hands as he knelt before her. He pulled her closer to his chest and put his hands around her, enfolding her in his warm embrace.

"Misaki… You have no idea how incredibly happy you've made me… Knowing those feelings you hold for me… You know that more than anything, I want to savor these moments I have left with you, every bit of it is important for me, Misaki…" He kissed the top of her head while slowly closing his eyes as he pulled her closer. He wanted to capture the moment of having her in his embrace, the sweet scent of her hair, the smoothness of her skin, the blow of her breath that always tickled his skin in such a lovely way, every little thing that he felt whenever she was near.

They stayed still for some brief moments of cuddling each other, but then Takumi noticed something warm was starting to dampen his shirt. He opened his eyes and kissed her head once again, realizing what was going on. However, he knew that he shouldn't let those precious moments they have left to be spent in grief. No, he didn't want that. Then he pulled away as he cupped her face in his hands while slowly alerted her.

"Misaki…"

Misaki looked up to him as she heard him calling her name. Her golden eyes glistened with some traces of tears but before she could move her hand to wipe it with her sleeves, Takumi already wiped the tears off her face softly with his fingers. Misaki didn't say anything, slightly embarrassed for unintentionally showing him her vulnerable side for the second time that day.

"Can you promise me something?" Takumi suddenly said, still cupping her face in his hands.

"Mmm?" was the only voice that managed to come out from Misaki's mouth in confusion as she heard his sudden request.

"Please don't show off such an adorable expression so carelessly…" Takumi said earnestly yet mischievously.

"Wha—" She was going to convey her protest when suddenly Takumi spoke again.

"You know that I can't stand it when I see that kind of expression coming from you, right? For your own safety, you shouldn't be provoking me…"

"Who…Who is provoking you, Pervert!" Misaki's face reddened in embarrassment as she unconsciously moved a little farther away from him.

Takumi smiled in satisfaction for successfully leading her to get rid of her sad expression for a while. He didn't want her to remember that day as a remark for their separation, but he wanted her to acknowledge the day as a new phase of their relationship, filled with hope and trust, which in the end will bring them closer to each other. Besides, nothing beat the fun of teasing his cute little maid.

"You are, obviously… I told you before, didn't I? Do you want me to repeat what I said this morning?" He answered, chuckling while remembering the things that he whispered earlier that morning to her ear which turned her face to tomato red in no time.

Misaki didn't want to remember those embarrassing words she heard earlier, but her brain wouldn't cooperate. The words replayed in her mind without her command, burning her cheeks instantly.

As she remained silent, too busy to control her blushing cheeks, Takumi continued speaking to her. "In case you don't remember, I'll say it again. I said that when I saw your adorable crying face for the first time, it makes me want to see your—"

Misaki forcefully covered his mouth to prevent him from saying it out loud, but he didn't stop. She could still hear the words 'mine', 'scream', 'bed' in between her struggle to stop him, which made her even more panic. And as she heard him saying 'naked' she pushed him down a little too hard that made both of them fell onto the carpeted floor, with Misaki on top of Takumi.

Misaki's eyes widened by the shock of having him so close to her, especially in that kind of position. She didn't even realize when Takumi snaked his hands around her waist while pulling her body closer to his. "You wanna do it already? Misa-chan is so sly…"

"Sh… Shut up, idiot pervert! I was just… Let go of me!" She tried to stand up, but her movement was restrained by Takumi's hands around her body. Her shout didn't make him loosened his firm clasp on her waist. His earlier perverted words and their current position made her heart pounding so hard that she could hear it in the back of her ears.

"No, can't do… If I let go, you'll run away from me… I don't want that…"

"Y… You're being ridiculous!"

"Tell me, Misaki… Do you hate this?" All of a sudden, Takumi's countenance shifted. He looked her in the eye emphatically with his enchanting emerald eyes, leaching her resistance away.

"…I… don't…" She answered hesitantly, yet honestly.

He smiled at his girlfriend's timid demeanor, he found it very appealing. Then he moved his left hand to her head while carefully rolling their body over on the floor, switching their sides. Takumi positioned his body on top of Misaki with his left hand cushioning her head and his right hand on her waist. Their faces were only a few inches apart.

Slowly, Takumi leaned in to capture her lips in his for a soft and warm kiss. The kiss they shared was sweet and innocent at first, but gradually became more and more breathtaking as both of them were lost in their passion for each other. Misaki's hands caressed his soft blond hair while pulling him closer for a more intense kissing. They responded equally and harmonically which made their kiss lasted for so long, they didn't even realize it until their lungs desperately screamed for air.

Takumi pulled away but continued dropping kisses along her jaw line and slowly moved down to one side of her neck. The touch of his lips on her skin made her shiver as she felt some extraneous yet pleasurable feelings spreading through her veins. Her body stiffened when burning desires triggered her consciousness as she reached her limit.

"Ta…Takumi…"

Misaki's voice alerted Takumi and he understood immediately that his kisses were too stimulating for her. He stopped trailing kisses on her neck and gave her a brief kiss on her cheeks before he pull away. He then rested his forehead on hers, looking at her beautiful eyes while giving her a mind blowing smile.

Misaki smiled back at him, loving the gentleness of her boyfriend. He had never forced her to do anything she didn't concur. Being in a relationship for a year, she understood enough that he was a very gentle man. He respected her more than anyone else she ever encountered. Despite of his perverted nature (only to Misaki), he had never done anything that she would come to hate. She cherished him more than what met the eye, she simply didn't have any words or actions that would enough to represent her feelings for him.

A few minutes later, Takumi stood up while carrying her in his strong arms. She was surprised by his sudden move, but stayed still in his embrace until they reached the couch. He placed her gently on the couch and kissed her forehead as he said. "Wait here, I'll prepare dinner for us."

-|φ|-

It was already dark outside by the time they walked down the street towards Misaki's house after having dinner. Misaki was still confused by Takumi's decision to take her home even though she said that she would stay with him for the night. He just smiled mysteriously and asked her to come with him. When they reached her house, Ayuzawa Minako, Misaki's mom, greeted them by the door.

As Misaki opened her mouth to explain about her delay, Takumi grabbed her hand to stop her. Misaki got more and more confused by his behavior, but she didn't say anything.

Takumi turned to Minako and started speaking with a rather formal tone.

"Ayuzawa-san, sorry for disturbing you this late, but may I speak with your for a few minutes?"

Misaki looked at him, startled by his unexpected action. Then she turned to her mom, who was having the same confused expression.

"Ahh… Usui-kun, no need to be that formal… Okay, let's talk at the kitchen for a while. Misaki, go see your sister at the living room. She said she wants to ask you something about some postcards."

Minako then led Takumi to the kitchen and shut the door behind them. Misaki didn't know what to say, she had completely no idea what was going on. She then sighed and walked towards the living room.

Minako and Takumi sat down at the dining table, facing each other. Then she noticed an unusual sad expression on Takumi's flawlessly handsome face. That's when she realized that he was having some kind of problem, so she looked straight into his beautiful green eyes and started asking him.

"I've never seen such a troubled look on your face, Usui-kun… What happened to you?"

"Ayuzawa-san… I am going to reveal everything to you, and you only… I'm hoping that you will understand my decision and give me your blessing…"

-|φ|-

"What did you two talked about?" Misaki asked Takumi as he came out from the kitchen with her mother after they talked for about half an hour.

Takumi turned and smiled at her mother, which in return he received a warm smile back at him. Then he turned back at Misaki and ruffled her hair while saying in harmony with Misaki's mom. "You'll know it when it's time, Misaki."

"Mom, you should be on my side, not his." Misaki whined to her mother, not believing the fact that she agreed to keep secrets from her own daughter and even cooperated with that certain perverted alien and her so-called boyfriend. Although she knew that her mother trusted Takumi and thought that he was a very perfect man for her, still she wouldn't have thought that they would be getting along that well, especially when she had no idea what was all that about.

"We'll talk about it later, Misaki. You have some place to go to, isn't it?" Minako shrugged her question off by turning the conversation to another topic.

"What do you mean?" For the nth time that day, Misaki had no clue of what was going on.

"I asked permission from Ayuzawa-san to take you with me for the rest of the night. You wouldn't want her to worry about you, right?" Takumi explained while shooting her an honest smile that she always loved.

Misaki was rendered speechless by his thoughtfulness. She didn't know how many times he had managed to elevate her trust and respect for him by his actions. That was one of the qualities that he had, which was able to obliterate her hatred against man and earned him her unconditional love. Yes, there was no other man that was able to occupy that special place in her heart except for him, and she knew he deserved it more than anyone.

Minako sent them to the gate of her house and watched them walking hand in hand away from her sight. Abruptly she remembered the conversation she had with Takumi just now, and she couldn't hold the tears that were beginning to stream down her face.

"God, why do they have to go through that huge impediment in such a young age…" She sighed while the things that Takumi said a while ago stirred back in her mind. _I've never thought that someone as capable as him is holding such a heavy load on his shoulder… and what amazed me is the only thing that he always been worrying about is Misaki… Even accepting that kind of deal for her… He truly loves her… Usui Takumi... When the time comes, you'll have my full blessing…_

-|φ|-

Misaki found herself staring at the soothing sight of limitless dark sky that was in contrast to the twinkling stars dotted all over it. She could feel Takumi's warmth wrapped around her body as she rested her head on his chest while lying down on the floor with his left hand around her shoulder. It felt so good to have such a nice and quiet night alone with him at their favorite place. The place where they carved so many great memories since the first time they met.

"Do you remember when I first confessed my feelings for you here?" Takumi said, breaking the silence between them.

"…Yes. Of course I remember. That was the stupidest thing I've ever seen someone ever do." She replied boldly.

Takumi laughed at her straightforward answer. It was really like her to say something like that.

"But… It was the best love confession I've ever had…" She added with a low tone, half wishing that Takumi wouldn't get it, but she silently knew that he would.

Takumi smiled, loving the way his cute girlfriend always managed to make him smile the way that he did just now. She was the only person who had that kind of influence on him. _Misaki… You really are never failed to amaze me… _He pulled her closer to him and placed a gentle kiss on top of her head while whispering to her.

"Misaki is really sly…"

Takumi then moved his right hand to hold her chin up and slowly leaned in for a kiss.

Misaki's cheeks heated up momentarily as she felt his soft lips caressed hers in such a way that she couldn't resist. She breathed in his intoxicating scent and found herself wanting more of his kisses and his touch on her body. She clutched his shirt tightly as he tilted his head to her side to deepen their kiss.

With his every kiss and touch on her skin, she felt her body heat increasing and her heartbeat raced uncontrollably. The feeling she had inside of her was almost more than she could take. The smell of his scent, the taste of his kiss, and the gentleness of his touch made her unable to detach herself from him.

Before she knew it, she already kissed him back while placing her hand around his neck, pulling him closer as if it was possible. They kissed each other so passionately, pouring out their feelings like there was no tomorrow, because they knew that when tomorrow came, they had to say goodbye.

They lost track of time of how long they kissed as neither one of them wanted to let the time passed without holding on to each other. It was at that very moment, they truly realized how afraid they were of losing each other and how they wished that the time would stop, so that they wouldn't have to be apart.

But as both of them felt the need for air, their senses brought them back to reality and they slowly pulled away from each other. Takumi smiled as he saw her gasping for air while covering her blushing face, suddenly felt embarrassed over her passionate reaction just now.

"Your blushing face is really cute, Misaki… Especially right now… You're making it difficult to control myself, you know…" Takumi said playfully yet earnestly.

"S…Stop saying such perverted thing at a night like this, idiot!" Misaki moved back while sitting up, turning her back on him as she knew that his words would make her face flushed even more.

Suddenly she felt his chest pressed against her back as he hugged her from behind, leaving no space between them. His warm breath tickled her ear as she heard his gentle voice which immediately sent shivers all over her body.

"Why? Is Misa-chan afraid that something might happen?" His voice was very tempting, and the blow of his breath in her earlobe made her unable to think clearly.

"Wh…Who said that I'm afraid?" She said hesitantly.

"Hmm… Really? Then you're not afraid if I do this?" Takumi leaned forward and kissed her nape gently, then continued brushing his lips against her bare skin in circular motion.

Misaki gasped while clenching her hand, startled by his sudden stimulating act. Her body got tensed as she felt his tongue started licking her neck. "Ta…Takumi…"

"If you don't want it, just say stop then I'll stop…"

Misaki didn't know what to do as she was conflicting in her mind. She was afraid that she might lose control, but she wanted his warm touch to remain because she wanted to feel it for a while longer. However, his touch was too stimulating that unconsciously she released a soft moan as he started sucking her sensitive skin on her neck.

He stopped right at the moment he heard her voice. Then he shifted and kissed her temple while chuckling. "You're too stubborn for your own good, Misa-chan…"

"It… It's not that. It's not because I want to prove that I'm not afraid… I realized that I hadn't been honest with my feelings for you… but I've decided for all the words that I didn't say, and for all the things that I didn't do, tonight I'll make it all up to you… I've spent some time thinking things through… And I know one thing for sure… I always end up wanting to be with you… That's why… When it happens, I… want it to be with you… because I really love you, Takumi…"

Takumi couldn't believe what he just heard. It was really a mind blowing confession, especially because it came from her. Knowing her, he knew that it all came from deep within her heart because she was that kind of person. She had never say things without meaning what she said.

He was deeply touched, and overwhelmingly happy to hear her words. Then he strengthened his hold on her and kissed her cheek. "That was the sweetest confession I've ever received, Misaki… But you know… I can wait… Until you are ready for that kind of relationship. I don't want to force you to do something that you might regret."

"How can you be sure that I'm not ready yet?"

"You were trembling. By the time you are ready, you won't be."

She was impressed by his attention to every little detail about her. He had always been like that. She just couldn't keep up to his way of thinking way further ahead. She knew that she couldn't be more proud of him than she already was.

Takumi shifted their position to face each other. He looked deep into her eyes while caressing her left cheek with his right hand and said to her."I have my reason too, Misaki… I don't want to do it now, because if we do it, I don't think I will be able to ever let you go…"

He then pulled her closer to his embrace, placing his chin on her shoulder and closed his eyes. It was an amazing feeling he had and he wanted to savor it for a while longer. Then he whispered delicately to her ear. "It's because I'm madly in love with you, Misaki…"

His words made Misaki thought that she was the luckiest woman in the whole world, to have someone who truly loved her and deeply cared about her more than anything. She promised to herself that she would do whatever she could to make him happy, like the way he always did for her. And if waiting for him was what it takes, she would do it without hesitation, because she knew, he deserved it.

_To be continued….  
_-|φ|-

Author's note:

So that's the end of "The Goodbye".

I hope you guys didn't get bored for reading this long chapter LOL :p

As every human needs food to survive, this writer needs reviews to keep her soul motivated to continue writing (sounds so cheesy, but whatever haha :P), so if you don't mind, please leave your review by pressing the review button below. Thanks a lot in advance ^^

And I also need to say my apology to you all for excusing myself to have a break from writing because I'll be very busy especially within the next few months, so I'll only update my story when I have more spare time. I hope you'll be patient and still want to read my next chapter, titled….. Nah… I think I'll keep it because I don't want to disappoint anyone :p

Till next chapter, pals!

-Fin-

April 07,2011.


	5. The Message

Hey, folks! ^^ I guess I don't need to explain the reason for this delay anymore, right? :p

I want to express my deep gratitude to everyone who read and reviewed my previous chapters. It means a lot to me. So THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

Here is my new update, titled 'The Message'. I'm sorry in advance if you find mistakes here and there as I'm still learning and trying to improve. I will be very pleased if you will help me by pointing out the mistakes so that I can correct it as soon as I can. Thanks in advance :)

Have a pleasant reading! ^^

-|φ|-

**Disclamer: I clearly do not have that much great imagination to create such amazing characters and story like Maid-sama, it's all the property of the magnificent Hiro Fujiwara. **

The street was still deserted when Takumi and Misaki was on their way to Misaki's house since it was still very early in the morning. When they reached the gate of the house, Takumi stood still for a while, staring at the house with a longing look, as if trying to capture it for one last time.

He remembered when he spent all night sitting in front of the house before. It happened almost two years ago, but yet it felt like yesterday. He was amazed by how quickly a life could be turned upside down in just a blink of an eye and how he wished that he could have done something more for her with the time they had, but then he realized that whatever things he could have done wouldn't make his situation easier.

Misaki glanced at him and realized how hard he tried to conceal his sadness during the night so that he wouldn't make things more difficult for her than it already was. He had been suppressing his feelings for her sake for so many times before, and it was all very touching, but this time, she wouldn't let him do it again.

She threw her hands around him and hugged him tightly while whispering to him. "Don't you ever suppress your feelings for my sake anymore. I am stronger than you thought. Believe me, Takumi."

Takumi couldn't be more impressed by her. She always had a way to sooth his troubled mind, at the exact right time. And she just did it again. _Misaki… What am I going to do without you…_ He hugged her tighter and kissed the top of her head while caressing her hairs dearly.

They stayed in each other's warm embrace for a few minutes before he slowly pulled away and cupped her face.

"I know, Misaki… But isn't it my job to worry about my girlfriend?" He said while shooting her a smile that she wouldn't forget.

It was a smile that abruptly implied how deep his feeling for her, which she swore made her heart stopped for a few milliseconds. She couldn't even describe how amazing she was feeling when she saw his expression at that moment. It was priceless.

She was speechless for a few fine moments, and when she managed to pull herself together, she replied hesitantly.

"Y..You have a lot more things to worry about, but you are worrying about things that you shouldn't be worried about instead, are you stupid?" She said boldly, trying to sound disturbed, but inside of her, she was deeply moved by his words.

It surely didn't go unnoticed. Takumi couldn't help but thinking about how cute she was when she tried to deny her own feeling and said something harsh instead, but in the end, it only made her true feelings clearer to him, which made him want to tease her more. He just couldn't miss it.

"I like worrying about _my girlfriend_, so I don't mind being an idiot because of it." Purposely emphasizing the girlfriend part, he smiled satisfactorily when her face went red instantly.

"D…Don't say such embarrassing things so casually, idiot perv—"

She didn't get to finish her outcry as she felt his lips capturing hers and her petite body fully drowned in his embrace. His warm lips caressed hers softly for a few moments, then he slowly pulled away while whispering to her ears.

"Misa-chan… Do you want to wake everybody up and let them ruin our precious moments?"

"I… Ukh… It's your fault for saying such embarrassing words!" She said, half yelling, half whispering.

"Then I won't say anything anymore…"

Before she had time to react, he captured her lips once again and kissed her passionately. She kissed him back with the same rhythm once she had recovered from her surprise upon his sudden move. She could feel him smiling in between their kisses, feeling somewhat thrilled by her reaction.

"If only I don't have to go, I can do this all day, Misa-chan…"

"Saying it now of all time, you are really a perverted idiot!"

"Then will you prefer me saying it when I'm back so that we'll be able to actually doing it all day? What a foxy pres…" He smirked when instantly her face turned beet red.

"WHA…YOU—" She covered her mouth quickly, preventing herself from saying it out loud.

Takumi laughed when he saw her looking at him furiously without being able to yell at him.

She took a deep breath and when she calmed down, she continued with a lower voice. "You better get yourself back here first before imagining such things, pervert!"

"Don't worry, Misa-chan. As long as you still need me, I will find my way back to you…"

Misaki felt something calming in his words. It was exactly the words that she needed to hear, to save her from growing doubts about the possibility of him not coming back to her side. Misaki leaned her head on his broad chest while clutching his shirt tightly and said to him. "Don't be ridiculous, there's no way that I don't need you…"

He smiled while putting his hands around her and kissed the top of her head. "Then you've got yourself a lifetime stalker, Misa-chan…" He said while smiling innocently.

"Yeah, a perverted one…" Misaki said, and both of them laughed while embracing each other, it was indeed a very fine moment for both of them.

But when they saw sunlight started to break the dawn, they realized that their time was up. "It is time…" Takumi said to her, then slowly let go of her.

"Please take good care of yourself when I'm not around, okay?" He added while ruffling her hairs.

Misaki nodded. "I will, and you too…"

He gently tucked some of her hairs behind her ears to take one last glance at her beautiful features. Then he looked at her charming golden eyes and gave her a very warm smile.

"Then… I'll see you later, Misaki…" He said while leaning forward and slowly kissed her cheek.

"…Yes… See you later, Takumi…" Misaki said while watching him turning his back and walked away from her sight.

She decided to restrain herself from crying and showing her true emotions until the very last second, until she couldn't see his figure anymore. It was the hardest thing she ever had to do, because she was already crying inside, and her heart kept commanding her to run after him and tell him to not leave her side.

But she couldn't. She knew that he was the one who suffered the most from that situation. He was walking toward his ruthless destiny and facing it all by himself. She hated herself for not having the power to protect him from his family, but she knew enough that she shouldn't make things worse for him. So she stood still, clenching her hands and let those emotions burnt inside of her.

_Until I see you again, Takumi…_

-|φ|-

Misaki was sitting on her bed with her hands covering her face while bowing her head. She knew that she had reached her limit. She couldn't suppress those feelings any longer as she sobbed and next thing she knew, the tears that she had been holding before were starting to stream down her face.

_Forgive me, Takumi… Even though I know I shouldn't be crying again, I don't know how to control this anymore… But, this is the last time you'll ever see me giving you up… By the time we meet again, I won't allow myself to be in the position of having no choice but to let you leave me like this… I will try my hardest until I am qualified to stand by your side, that I won't have time to crumble and cry over the loneliness of not having you here with me… So please forgive me this time… Allow me to feel this pain just once, and tomorrow I will be stronger, I promise…_

Misaki cried herself out without holding it back. Her arms grasped her head in a futile attempt to stop time, because as time went by, the fact that Takumi had gone became more and more real. It was the only moment she allowed herself to pour out those soulful cries that she wouldn't express before. She let her sorrow brought forth tears, expressing the emotional breakdown within her that was never once revealed to anyone.

Hot tears stung her face and soaked her clothes in an unending flow and she lost track of time for how long she had been crying until she fell asleep peacefully, for a while at least.

Suddenly there was a knock on the bedroom door, but she didn't react. Few more knocks and still no reaction, the door slowly opened, revealing Minako's worried face. She looked at her daughter and slowly approached her, keeping it as quiet as possible. She could see traces of overflowing tears on her swollen eyes, and it hurt her to see her beloved daughter in that state. She slowly stroked her hairs, hoping that the touch would shove away her pain, even in her dreams.

_My poor little girl… This is the first time I've seen you like this… You always been unbreakable in front of me, even when your father left us… I know it was all because you don't want to make me sad… You've sacrificed too much, Misaki… _

Minako sighed then walked to the desk and put an expensive looking box she was carrying onto the desk, the reason why she came to Misaki's bedroom in the first place. _I hope you will get better when you see this, Misaki… His message for you…_ She smiled when she remembered Takumi's face when he gave it to her last night and how he asked her to watch over Misaki and remind her not to overwork herself. _He really worries about her… what a thoughtful boy…_

She moved closer and kissed Misaki's forehead. _Sleep well, Misaki..._ She then walked to the door and took one last glance at her sleeping daughter while smiling to her peaceful face before she closed the door behind her.

-|φ|-

Few hours later Misaki woke up and obviously felt uncomfortable because of the numbness throughout her body. She straightened up and walked towards the curtained window to burst it open, but she regretted it almost immediately. It was a really bright day and by the time she slid the curtain open, a huge amount of light came rushing into her bedroom and blinding her for a few seconds.

As her eyes adjusted to the light, she opened her eyes slowly and the first thing she looked at was her desk that was located just below the window. That's when she realized there was something foreign sitting pleasantly on it. A dark-red colored box that matched her golden eyes perfectly.

She slowly opened its cover and found a luxurious looking book placed neatly inside of it, which turned out to be a photo album. She opened the cover curiously and found herself looking at a lot of images of herself. It was all a photo collection of her that was gathered by Takumi ever since they knew each other.

Taking pictures of her was Takumi's favorite activity whenever they were together. Misaki remembered being irritated by his constant whining about taking her 'extremely cute expressions' because he loved to see the way her expression changes when she was near him.

She was amazed by so many expressions he could capture from her, with that limited access she gave him to take pictures of her. She had no idea that there were so many photos he took, because he had never showed it all to her before.

Seeing page after page, she could sense his deep feeling for her, because the pictures evidently showed how he always observed her and captured every little moments of her. The softness in each of the pictures reminded her of his gentleness, and undeniably, it made her missed him so much.

When she reached the last page of the album, she saw her name written on an envelope that was attached to its back cover. She quickly opened it and found a letter with his handwriting.

_**Dear Misaki,**_

_**I think this is the first time you saw my collection, am I right?**_

_**This is my treasure, so please take good care of it for me.**_

_**Are you wondering why I give you this?**_

_**The truth is… I just want you to have more self consciousness after seeing these photos, so that you'll understand a little why I can't control myself whenever I see your cute expressions in front of me.**_

_Pervert…_ Misaki smiled when she read the first three lines of the letter. It was the first smile that emerged on her face ever since that morning.

_**As I write this letter, I imagine you are smiling and calling me pervert right about now.**_

Misaki stopped for a moment. Then her smile widened. _You are really a perverted outer space alien…._

_**Yes, I am your perverted outer space alien.**_

Misaki laughed. She always knew that he had some kind of alien power to read minds, but she didn't expect that he could predict things accurately before it actually happened.

_**I hope these words find you in the perfect mood, so somehow you will think of me and smile.**_

_**I love it when you smile so please don't make me be the one who take it away from you.**_

_**This is not goodbye, Misaki… No matter how far away I am from you, I will definitely come back to you, because being by your side is the only place I want to be.**_

_**In my whole life, I wasn't able to live the life I want. There are times when I lost the reason of living along the line. But ever since you came into my life, there's nothing else I want more than to live, so that I can be there for you whenever you need me.**_

_**You asked me once, why did I care so much about you to the extent of sacrificing myself for you… I said it's because I will lose myself if I lose you, but you laughed and thought that I was teasing you, but I want you to know, what I said to you is a complete honesty… I need you in my life, Misaki… Because you make me whole…**_

_**Please believe me this time…**_

_**I love you with all my heart,**_

_**-Takumi-**_

Misaki was deeply touched by his outpouring of affection in the letter, in which she guessed he put so much effort to get it done, because she knew he was not the kind of guy who would say something like that easily. She smiled as hugged the letter dearly as if it was him.

_I always believe in you, baka…_

_To be continued….  
_-|φ|-

**Author's note:** Done! Haha finally I've finished this chapter! Sorry for taking so long time to finish this. I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I enjoy writing it :)

Thank you so much for reading, and please tell me how you guys feeling about it. I will be very glad to receive feedbacks , in short, please click the review button below, and tell me everything you want ^^

Until next time, guys!

-Fin-

May 04, 2011.


	6. The Memory

Hello all! I'm back with my new chapter ^^ Once again I want to say thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, put my story into their favorite, and even put me into their favorite author list! I'm very happy to read all of your feedbacks! You guys kept me motivated to write more, it's a really wonderful thing for me! THANK YOU!

I'm sorry in advance for any mistakes in my writing, you are welcome to tell me about it, I'll be very pleased ^^

Now, without further blabbering, please enjoy this chapter :)

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**Disclamer: I do not own KWMS or Maid-sama, I'm just a mere fan. **

It was a really fine day. The morning breeze felt so cool yet refreshing on Misaki's skin as she sat alone on a bench in that familiar park, watching people passing by.

There were not many people around, as it was still very early. She sighed. It had been yet another year since the last time she was there. She always missed that place even though she went there every year ever since he was gone.

It had become her habit to come to that park early in the morning and sat at the same bench for a whole day every year when she came to visit the town she used to live in. It was not without a reason though. She was recalling the memories of him, not to remind her, but to make her feel as if he was there with her.

Being there in that place, the memory of their first date come flashing back at her. She smiled as she recalled him waiting for her there for more than an hour because she was late. She also still clearly remembered his surprised expression, followed by a slight red blush that immediately appeared on his handsome face when he saw her whole different appearance that day. That look was priceless. She didn't get to see it very often, because he usually wore that composed expression most of the time.

He is Usui Takumi after all. The most popular boy at Seika High, famous for his incredibly good look and amazingly perfect posture, incredible skills in sports, academic excellence, overflowing talents, yet mysterious personality. But to Misaki, he is simply a perverted outer space alien, and a loving boyfriend.

She remembered having the best moments in her life when they were together for one memorable year. His presence made her stronger, his teasing made her days brighter, and his continuous affection made her world complete. He had become an essential part in her life ever since he took a special place in her heart that no man had ever managed to enter.

That's why it felt so hard when he wasn't there anymore. Up until that very day, Misaki still couldn't believe that the memories they shared in that short period of time when they were together were able to lead her to survive those lonely years of his absence.

She held on to his promise that he would come back to her no matter what happened and she believed him. Therefore she lingered, waiting for him to appear in front of her without notice, like he used to do.

She smiled when she was reminded to the days when he kept appearing around her for mysterious reason and unconsciously the memory of that special day replayed in her mind.

_Flashback to that certain day…_

"_You know why I didn't want anyone at school to know about this, right?" Misaki said to him at the student council room during school's break. Takumi was dragged to that room by Misaki because she was too irritated by his stalking actions towards her that caught the attentions of almost all of the students of Seika. Rumors about their mysterious encounters were already spreading around the school for a few days, although no one suspected about their love relationship yet, except for a few close friends. _

_It was the result of his intense visit to her class and student council room on breaks and every time he had free time for three consecutive days ever since Misaki decided to take over the role of the Sports' club's adviser in place of their absent teacher. It consumed most of her time and energy although she wouldn't admit it. Takumi had tried to advise her on that matter but she wouldn't listen, so he had no other choice than keeping a close watch on her while making sure that she wasn't overworking herself._

"_About what?" Takumi said innocently._

"_You know exactly what I meant!" She replied furiously._

"_Oh… About me and Misa-chan dat—" Takumi's remaining words were cut as she forcefully covered his mouth with her palm._

"_Are you stupid? Why did you—" Misaki's remaining words ingested as she gasped when she realized what had he done with her palm that was covering his mouth. She immediately withdrawn her hand that was slightly wet and took a step back while at the same time a huge amount of heat came rushing up to her cheeks._

"_You… You are a sick pervert!" She smacked him on the head and turned around, heading to the door angrily. She stopped at the door and turned to him while pointing an accusing finger to his face. "We will have a talk about this matter after school. Don't come near me until then, I'm warning you!" _

_Then she disappeared from his sight, leaving Takumi speechless. He heaved a deep sigh. That's one of those times when he felt so powerless towards his stubborn girlfriend. __**Ayuzawa, when will you ever stop torturing yourself for the sake of others?**_

_Meanwhile, Misaki was walking away from student council room while cursing in her mind. __**Stupid alien! He always pisses me off with his stupid actions! Why won't he understand my reason for keeping our relationship a secret at school? Why is he always trying to make things more difficult than it already is? Is it that much to ask?**_

_She went to the staff room to report her inspections for the club activities and found herself being handed over a pile of more works to do. She then headed back to student council room to start working on it because she had council meeting after school so she needed to finish it as soon as she could._

_As she was about to enter the student council room, she stopped for a while in front of the door, wondering whether that perverted alien was still there. But when she opened the door, there was nobody there._

_**I guess he decided to hear what I said this time, that alien… **__Misaki thought with relieve. But in contrast, she felt some uncomfortable feelings weighing on her chest, as she recalled their last conversation._

_**Was I too harsh to him?**__ She asked herself. Unconsciously, she was beginning to regret what she said to him a few minutes ago, but then she immediately shook those thoughts away from her mind as she tried to concentrate on finishing her works._

_She was too drowned in her works, she didn't even realize that she skipped her lunch, which meant that she hadn't eat anything since lunch the day before as she didn't have her dinner and breakfast either. She was too busy that she didn't have time to think about it. As the school bell rang, indicating the lunch break was over, she quickly cleared up the desk then walked swiftly down the corridor towards her classroom, ignoring the dizziness she had ever since she went out of the student council room._

_As she opened the classroom door, suddenly everything went black. She felt her knees lost its strength and her body slumped to the ground. Everyone in her class came rushing to the door to look at what happened to their demon president. Sakura and Shizuko squeezed their way to the front door, shocked when they found her lying on the floor. Shizuko tried to shake Misaki's body to wake her up, and Sakura ran through the corridor, searching for their health teacher when she bumped into Takumi, who was walking towards his classroom. _

"_U…Usui-kun…Thank God… Please help… Misaki… She…" Sakura stammered while trying to catch her breath, pointing her finger to the direction where their classroom was._

_Without further questions, Takumi ran towards Misaki's classroom and found a lot of people standing in front of the class, surrounding something, or rather, someone. _

"_Usui-san…" The students murmured when they saw his restive expression, in contrast to his usual composed face. His eyes wandered about to know who was the person being hemmed by those students. The crowd quickly dismissed to make way for him as he walked closer to the center of their attention. _

_He quickly approached her when he saw Misaki lied flat on the floor with Shizuko and Hinata kneeling beside her, trying hard to wake her up with any means they could think of._

"_It's no use, I should carry her to the infirmary." Hinata said while trying to lift Misaki's arm to put it around his neck._

"_You won't be able to carry her by yourself, I'll help." Shizuko said to Hinata, but was stopped when she noticed Takumi._

_Without saying a word, Takumi grabbed Hinata's shoulder and as Hinata turned around and saw the look on his face, he automatically distanced himself from Misaki._

_Shizuko, Hinata, and the rest of the crowd fell silent when they saw Takumi knelt down in front of them and cushioned Misaki's head with his left arm to support her and slid down his right hand under her thigh. He carried her bridal style as he stood up and immediately the crowd gave way to him. _

_The students whispered to each other when they saw Takumi carried Misaki in such an intimate way and the way he looked at her was just wasn't the expression that he gave to a mere friend. _

"_Look at Usui-san's tender look towards Ayuzawa-san… Oh My God, I really want him to look at me like that…"_

"_I've never saw that expression of him before… and the way he carries Misaki-san… Ahh… I think I'm gonna passed out…" cried some of the girls. They blushed even though they were still confused about what happened._

"_But hey… If you think about it, they are very close to each other… And to think that he can just come and carry her like that, and his expression when he finds out that the president passed out…"_

"_Usui-san is always by her side, and she is the only girl he ever shown interest in…" said the students, both boys and girls, to each other. _

"_Now that you mention it, Usui-san came here a few times to see president even though he didn't actually have any school problems to talk with her… "_

"_Yeah… I find it strange too… But after what we saw today, don't you think that they are…"_

_The students kept adding and adding more details about what they saw between them then quickly came to reason every other scene they saw between them, and undeniably, they came to one big conclusion._

_End of Flashback…_

Misaki exhaled a deep sigh. That day marked the point of no return in her life, when all of the students in Seika revealed their relationship status. Both of them didn't bother to explain much about it, but still, the fact that demon president and the most gorgeous boy of Seika High were in a love relationship became a trending topic that never seemed to be replaced by any other popular news in the school.

The result of the incident was really unexpected especially to Misaki, because ever since the students knew about it, the male students seemed to fear her even more because they didn't want to go against Takumi, the person whom they respected the most. Whereas the female students admired Misaki even more, not only because they knew that Misaki was the only one who could match Takumi in almost every aspect, but also because she was the only girl who could attract him.

It evidently showed that her deepest concern about the bad influence of their relationship that always bothered her ever since the first day they decided to become a couple was unreasonable. She hated how Takumi always managed to prove his better judgment in almost every matter they were involved in. It made her unconsciously relied on his advices in many things because they always turned out to be the best it could be.

With him by her side, every single thing in her life seemed easier to accomplish, because he knew exactly how to achieve it, as if he had experienced every single one of it. However, he didn't always offer his help for every problem that she had, because he knew she didn't like it. She was the type of girl who would depend only to herself and very stubborn to the extent of willing to trouble herself rather than admitting defeat and asked for his assistance. He would help her only in those crucial moments and helped her in a way that wouldn't be too noticeable.

It was his way to show her how much he trusted her ability to solve things on her own and let her learn from her own mistakes. Most of the time he would watch her from distance and observed the way she faced every problem in her own way and at the same time be there for her whenever she needed him.

"_Misa-chan is a person with no self consciousness at all, that's why I can't let you out of my sight…"_

Misaki quoted his reply in her mind when she told him to stop stalking her and asked him why he always did it even though she said she didn't need his protection.

She felt a lift in her heart and smiled as she remembered more things that he said to her that made her embarrassed yet happy at the same time. She really missed those moments with him, every single one of them, but more than anything, she missed him so much.

She missed his mischievous smile that plastered on his handsome face every time she blushed because of his teasing. She missed his concern whenever she did something outrageous. She missed his thoughtfulness and patience when he gave her time to adjust and keep up with his feelings during their relationship. She missed his unexpected acts that always made each day of her life special. She missed his presence everyday whenever and wherever he would always be around her.

She wanted to feel his presence once again with all of her senses so bad, she would come to that place to remember the memories of those days every year on their anniversary even though she didn't live there anymore. She knew that everyone who knew her situation would say that she was the most foolish person in the world for believing a promise that was made on their teenage days and even went as far as waiting faithfully for a boyfriend who left her seven years ago.

She didn't mind. She didn't care what others would tell about her, because she knew her heart. It was longing only for one person.

She moved her gaze to the sky and saw twinkling stars far above her and listened to the voice of the wind that was blowing through her hairs. She faced the winds and smiled. She imagined that even the wind would laugh if it knew what she was thinking.

_Takumi… Is it my greatest fault, that I can't stop loving you?_

_To be continued…._

-|φ|-

Okay, it was another sad chapter, sorry if I disappoint anyone with this :)

So what do you think about it? Please tell me all about it ^^

Thanks for reading, and see you in the next chapter! :D

Good day to you all,

-Fin-

May 31, 2011.


	7. The Request

Heloooo! It's been a while, I suppose? Sorry for this late update, things in life were bugging me for so long… But I'm not here to tell my issues and making excuses for this delay.

I want to thank all of the readers and reviewers for reading and reviewing my previous chapters, and that also goes to the people who put me on their favorite author's list as well as those who's kind enough to put my story into their favorite story's list. I always get this really nice feeling when I read your reviews and that's what keeping me writing. Thanks a lot for all of the supports!

I am dedicating this chapter for my dear friend, **Ofe-san**… Just to cheer her up and as a way of telling her how I appreciate your deep concern for this cyber friend of yours :) I hope you like it ^^

Have a pleasant reading, everyone~

-|φ|-

**Disclamer: I am only borrowing the characters in Maid-sama to create my own story, so I'll give them back to the rightful owner of Maid-sama after I finish with them, although I dunno when will I ever be able to let it happen, because they're too adorable!**

_Flashback to the night when it all revealed…_

"…_Ayuzawa-san… I really need you to keep this between us…" Takumi said pleadingly while looking at Minako._

_Minako didn't reply immediately as she wasn't really recovered from the unexpected news he just received from Takumi. He told her about his family background and the situation he was facing. She knew that there must be something behind that mysterious boy's exceptional ability and natural elegance, but she had never thought that his bloodline was actually originated from a distinguished family from another country. It was really out of her expectation._

_As she saw the look on his face, she realized that she was keeping him unoccupied for a few moments and thus she abruptly replied to him. "Ah… I'm sorry… I understand, Usui-kun… But is it okay for you to tell me all this? Isn't it supposed to be a secret?" Minako asked, wondering why all of a sudden Takumi revealed such a big secret to her._

_Takumi smiled slightly, revealing his charming features. "It is okay, Ayuzawa-san… But in the mean time, I should ask you to keep it to yourself until everything settled."_

_Without holding her curiosity, she asked him exactly the question that was stirring in her mind the whole time they had that conversation. "Why are you telling me all this all of a sudden, Usui-kun?"_

"_Ayuzawa-san… I came here tonight to say goodbye… I will be leaving Japan on the first flight to England tomorrow, but before that, I need to explain everything to you…"_

"_Leave? What do you mean, Usui-kun?" Minako was startled by his sudden announcement while looking at him with confusion in her eyes._

"_I had a deal with my grandfather about my family matters, I mean, my English family… That's why… I will go to England with him tomorrow." _

"_Did you talk about this with Misaki?"_

"…_Yes… Although I didn't go into details… I'm not allowed to tell anything to Misaki, it's part of the deal, and I don't think it will be wise to tell her even if I am… it will only be a burden for her, knowing her character…"_

"_I guess you are right, Usui-kun… But how did she take it when you tell her about it?"_

"_Unexpected, if I may say… She said that she's going to wait for me even before I tell her how long I'll be gone… Honestly, Ayuzawa-san… I had prepared myself for the worst, but… Your daughter is amazing… I've never been so amazed by anyone before..." Takumi said earnestly, reminded to the conversation that he and Misaki had that morning, which made him smile gracefully as he remembered her yelling at him and said that she would never give up on him. It was so moving that he didn't even have a word to describe how he deeply touched he was, but it was all showing in his face._

_Minako looked at Takumi and smiled to herself, admiring that gentle expression he always had whenever he was talking about Misaki. "That's expected of Misaki, you know how stubborn she is, Usui-kun… But for the same reason, she is the most honest and loyal person I've ever known… I'm very proud of her…"_

"_You are indeed right, Ayuzawa-san…" Takumi smiled sincerely to that warm-hearted woman._

"_Then… When are you coming back, Usui-kun?" Minako asked._

"_To be honest, Ayuzawa-san… I don't know when I will be able to come back here, because I'm not sure about my family's intention and how exactly the situation there… but I told Misaki that I won't be here for three years, because that's when everything will be decided, whether I can go back immediately to Japan, or…." He paused while taking a deep breath for a while, and then he continued speaking. "If… In some circumstances, I can't be back within that period, please give this to her, Ayuzawa-san…" He gave a letter to Minako, hoping that she wouldn't have to give it to her daughter, because if the day ever came, he would break her heart, completely._

_Minako observed Takumi's change of expression, and she could feel the complicacy of the things that were going on in his mind. She felt sorry for him, because at that age, he was already being forced to deal with such complicated situation. Although she knew that he wasn't an ordinary person to begin with, but still, it was definitely a very difficult situation to be involved with._

"_I understand… May I ask you the reason why did you agree to go to England with your grandfather even though you know he might not allow you to come back to Japan?"_

"_It's because I know what kind of person he is, he would do anything to take me to England, that includes using my relationship with Misaki to threaten me… I can't let him drag Misaki and your family into this matter. I will never forgive myself if anything bad should happen to any of you… That's why… I have to leave her side, at least until I'm able to ensure your family's safety… But I hope you will believe me when I say that my feelings for Misaki is true, I have no intention of playing with her feelings whatsoever… I promised her that I will come back to her no matter what happens, and I will fulfill it no matter how hard it will be..."_

_Minako's face softened when she heard the last part of Takumi's speech. She could feel the seriousness in every word he said, and she was deeply touched by his pure feelings for Misaki. "Usui-kun… I understand your situation and I don't blame you for anything… I believe that you really care about Misaki… If you're not, you won't be here explaining things to me right now, will you?"_

"_Thank you for your understanding, Ayuzawa-san..." Takumi smiled by the time he heard her soothing words, it was such a relieve hearing those words coming from her. _

"_You're welcome, Usui-kun… That's the least I can do for you after what you've done for Misaki all this time…"_

"_You are very kind, Ayuzawa-san… I'm sorry for asking for this, but I have some things to give Misaki, and it should be given after I left, can you please give them to her in place of me?"_

"_Of course, just tell me what I should do, Usui-kun…"_

_Takumi then took out a dark-red colored box from his bag, and gave it to Minako. "Please give this to Misaki after I left, I hope it will make her smile when she sees the message I wrote for her inside…"_

"_I'm sure she will, Usui-kun… After all you always manage to make her smile somehow, don't you?" Minako said teasingly, earning a very attractive smirk from the perverted outer space alien._

_Then he took out a letter and handed it to Minako. "This is a letter from a university in Tokyo that Misaki wanted to enter, although she didn't try to apply because it's too far and she didn't want to trouble you, Ayuzawa-san… You know how she always thought about everyone else first before herself…"_

"_She didn't tell me about it at all… That kid…" She shook her head, wondering how her daughter's lack of self-awareness could be worse than it already were. "Thanks for telling me this, Usui-kun… But what's inside the letter? I thought you said that she didn't apply."_

"…_Yes, that's why I applied for her, and with some recommendations from the people I know, the University decided to give her a full scholarship in the faculty of her choice..."_

"_Oh my God… really? Thank you, Usui-kun… I don't know how you did that, but I'm sure she will be very happy! Thank you so much!" Minako said with bright smile plastered on her face, feeling so happy for her daughter._

"_It's her effort and good grades that got her the scholarship, I'm just helping her to show it to them, that's all… So no need to thank me, Ayuzawa-san… But you know, even though she got a full scholarship, you need to persuade her to take it, because I know she wouldn't leave you two here, unless you convince her…"_

"_I will… Don't worry about it, Usui-kun…"_

"_Then I'll leave the rest to you, Ayuzawa-san… But before I leave, can I confess to you about something?"_

"_Oh… Sure… You can tell me anything, Usui-kun…"_

"_Thank you, Ayuzawa-san… You probably already knew about my feelings for Misaki, and how grateful I am to have her by my side for this one memorable year… She is the only one who sees me for who I really am and it's everything that I could ask for… I don't know what will happen in the future, but what I know is I already can't imagine my life without her… That's why, Ayuzawa-san… I've decided… If I've resolved everything with my family and if by that time Misaki still give me the chance, I would like to ask her to marry me and I'm here today to ask you for your blessing…"_

_Minako was speechless. It came as a complete shock for her, even though she knew that Takumi's true feeling for Misaki was unquestionable. She was really impressed by the solemnity that was emitted by those beautiful green eyes before her and suddenly she felt warmth filling her heart. Then a sincere smile slowly plastered on her face while she took his hands and covered it with hers. "Usui-kun… I'm so thankful for your feelings towards Misaki, and I've never seen her any happier than when she's with you… The decision is on her hand, but you've already earned my blessing…"_

"_I'm very happy to hear that, Ayuzawa-san… Thank you so much…" Takumi held her hands and smiled gracefully to Minako. He couldn't be more thankful to her than he already was. At that very moment, he told himself that he would do anything in his power to fulfill his promise to Misaki, no matter how long would it take._

_End of flashback…_

"**Mr. Walker… Sir…" **The middle-aged man said repeatedly to a very fine young man who was sitting comfortably in his chair without paying attention to his surrounding. He looked like he was drowned in his own thought. **"Mr. Takumi…" **The man called again.

The young man suddenly made a movement as he reverted back from his memory by the call of his first name that hadn't been used for so long. He then lowered the piece of paper that caused the nostalgic memory to come rushing back into his mind. He moved his gaze to the man who was standing in front of him. **"I'm sorry, I was too occupied… What is it, Edward?"**

"**I'm sorry for disturbing you, Mr. Walker… I come to tell you that the jet will be landing in a few minutes…" **The older man said politely.

Takumi smiled to his personal assistant, and nodded. **"Thank you, Edward…"**

"**My pleasure, Mr. Walker…" **Edward said while bowing politely to Takumi and walked back to his seat.

Takumi looked back at the picture that he was holding on his hand for the entire flight. Seven years had passed from the day he left the woman he was holding dearly in that picture when the cold malicious fate separated them in their younger days. And there he was passing the time, counting the hours to see her again.

His life had been hard, real hard for the past seven years, many things had happened. His family name had changed, marking his debut in the business world. His path had changed, he was no longer an illegitimate child that was abandoned by his rich family, but he is now the backbone of the Walker Corp since he became the new CEO of the company. His pace had changed, the person who always had all of the time in the world to be anywhere he wished for was having difficulty to squeeze in just a little time for himself.

It was inevitable as he is now the only successor of the Walker family since his grandfather and his older brother passed away. He was able to survive the chaos that followed after the loss of the two most influential figures in the company and the family itself. His leadership had changed the image of the company and brought it to a whole more successful path. Nobody could deny his real competence now, although when he was appointed as the new CEO by his grandfather before he passed away two years ago, many people questioned his ability and readied themselves to watch him fall.

Everything in his life had changed, except for one thing. His love for a certain demon president, the first and only person he ever loved, and the precious days they had together, stay deep within his memories. Those memories of carefree days he had with her, the trials and survivals they went through together, the lovely moments they shared, her beautiful face, her gentle touch, and the feelings he had by the thoughts of her were always dear to his heart.

_Misaki… I can't wait to see you again… I hope that I'm not too late to fulfill this promise…_

_To be continued…._

-|φ|-

Yeayyyy, I've FINALLY finished this chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it. You know what, I've went through a lot while writing this chapter. I've thought and re-thought its topic and changed it a few times. Now I know the meaning of "Writer's block" because I experienced it for a few days before I finally able to finish this chapter.

I really hope that you guys like it though :) And as usual, if you have any doubts or questions about this chapter, feel free to ask me, I'll try to reply as soon as I can… Thanks so much for reading, please forgive me for the mistakes in the story and if it's not too much, please tell me your opinions about this story by clicking the review button below.

The end of the story is near if you guys didn't notice it already I can't promise that the next chapter will be up very soon, but I'll definitely finish it as soon as I got free time from work. Many people asked me about some details of what Misaki is doing now and how her life had been, so I'm going to leak out some spoiler, you will know the answer to that question in the next chapter ^^ Thanks for reading my work, I hope you guys will be with me until the end.

Thanks again, and see you all in the next chapter!

Good days to you all,

-Fin-

July 11, 2011.


	8. The Choice

Greetings to all of the readers! Thanks for all of the supports for this story! I'm so happy to receive your warm and supportive reviews for the previous chapters! For some anonymous readers, I'm sorry that I can't reply to you directly, but I really appreciate it and I also would like to thank you all for reading and reviewing!

As for this chapter, I dedicate it to a friend who'd been very kind and supportive from the very beginning, she had been my first reviewer for almost all of my updates in this story. She is **VividPixie or Lexie-chan**! Thanks for your continuous supports and I hope you like this chapter!

Have a pleasant reading, everyone! ^^

-|φ|-

**Disclamer: Although I would be more than happy if KWMS would be mine, but unfortunately it still isn't, so I'll say it again, I have nothing to do with KWMS or Maid-sama, I'm just a fan.**

_Flashback: Direct continuation of The Memory…_

_She didn't mind. She didn't care what others would tell about her, because she knew her heart. It was longing only for one person. _

_She moved her gaze to the sky and saw twinkling stars far above her and listened to the voice of the wind that was blowing through her hairs. She faced the winds and smiled. She imagined that even the wind would laugh if it knew what she was thinking. _

_**Takumi… Is it my greatest fault, that I can't stop loving you?**_

_End of flashback…_

"_Have you ever asked yourself that is it the greatest mistake, for you to ever meet him?"_

Misaki gasped as Hinata's voice echoed in her mind. She had no idea why the words suddenly came back at her at that very moment. It felt like a long time ago, yet it still engraved in her memory like yesterday. It happened three years ago, but she could still clearly remember their conversation when Hinata tried to 'resuscitate' her from something that he called 'an empty hope'.

Ever since Takumi left her, Hinata had always been beside her, he even went to a college in Tokyo just to be near her. At first, his intention was to help her went through those lonely days without Takumi as her best friend, because he knew exactly how she felt for Takumi and that he knew pretty well that he didn't have any chance to win her heart. But after they spent so much time together, he realized that he couldn't deny his feelings for her that had been kept for so long in his heart. It thrived inside of him even though he didn't dare to speak about it and risked their great relationship.

So he secretly hoped that Takumi would never come back to her, and that he could slowly foster her feelings towards him through time. Therefore, when he knew about the letter Takumi wrote for Misaki as a token of releasing her from the promise she made to him and at the same time giving her a choice whether to wait in uncertainty or free herself from the promise, Hinata saw it as an opportunity that he had been waiting for so long. He finally got the chance to express his real feelings to Misaki.

_Flashback to the day their relationship changes…._

"_I want to tell you the truth about my feelings, Misaki… If only you know how much I love you, and how long I've kept this feeling from you… But not anymore… Not after I knew how he treated you… You know that tomorrow and the days after that I'll still be around you… I'll never let you down… So please, Misaki… Give me a chance to be by your side and you will never regret it…" Hinata said earnestly. He had decided to step up and confessed his feeling that was kept deep within his heart for as long as he could remember. He couldn't suppress his feelings for her anymore because he knew that he wanted to be more than just a friend for her, and he was willing to risk everything that they had to let her know that fact, he couldn't wait any longer because he didn't want to see Misaki tortured herself in loneliness._

_Misaki was shocked beyond words when she heard Hinata's sudden confession. Although in the back of her mind, she silently knew that Hinata's feelings for her didn't change even though he said that he wanted to be her best friend. He could never hide his real feelings from anybody because it was just his nature. She should have known that._

_But over the years, she found herself being too comfortable with his presence as her best friend and she decided to ignore the warning her conscience had given to her, hoping that it was just her imagination and maybe he really was over her. She knew that she had been very cruel to him. Even though he had never said anything, she knew that over the years, she had really hurt his feelings and she had no idea how to make everything right again. _

_For a second there, she thought about agreeing to his offer, to accept his feelings and never looked back. It might seem like the best decision she could take at the moment, because she knew that Hinata would love her with all his heart, and that he would do anything to make her happy. Her life would be much more easier if she would just give up and chose him over Takumi and live a happy life together with him. But at the critical moments, her inner conscience warned her once again, because when she thought about losing Takumi, her heart ached like never before._

_Then suddenly all of the old memories of the days she and Takumi went through together came rushing back at her without her consent, and as she remembered his warm and innocent smile that was so perfect in her mind, she realized that in her heart, nobody could ever replace him. There was nobody that could make her feel the way that he did. Even though it hurt her so bad to live her life without him and so lost because she wouldn't want to prepare, to know that something might gone wrong and he might never come back, but she couldn't deny that he was the only one who would always had a special place in her heart, something that even herself couldn't undo. _

_It was at the moment that she took a time to reminisce about the feelings she used to feel, and the promise she had made, both to herself and to him. Then she realized that no matter how hurt she was, no matter how much pain he had caused for making her waiting for him in uncertainty, if there was still a chance to be together with him, she would never abandon it. She would always stay true to her feelings and there she decided to stay on the line of hope. She then took a deep breath and lifted her head to face Hinata. She had made her choice and she must make him understand._

"…_.Shintani… I'm thankful for your feelings… I really am... You are my precious friend, and because of you, I am able to go through my life with joy… But… I can't… I don't wanna hurt you but… I—" Misaki was about to break her best friend's heart, once again, before she was interrupted by the said person._

_Hinata interrupted her before she could finish her line, as if he knew what she was about to say next, and he didn't want to hear it. "Misaki… You know I don't mind… You can hurt me as many times as you want, as long as you let me stay by your side and give me a chance to show you how much I love you… I won't regret a thing…" _

"_No, Shintani… I already know how do you feel about me, even if you hide it and tried to be just a friend for me. I am a cruel person, I know all about it but yet I let you stay with me as my friend. Can't you see? I'm using you to make me feel better, for my own selfishness, I forced you to suppress your own feelings!"_

"_I don't care, Misaki! I will gladly go through it again if you ask me to, I'm willing to do anything as long as you are happy!" Hinata said earnestly, without doubt in his eyes. _

"_Don't say that anymore, Shintani… You know my feelings… I had never thought of anyone else except for him, even if he isn't here… You'll just waste your time with me…"_

"_Don't you think that you're the one who wasted your time with him? Have you ever asked yourself that is it the greatest mistake, for you to ever meet him? He messed up your peaceful life, and after that, he left you just like that. He made you wait for him for four years already. He broke his promise, isn't it? How can you be sure that he isn't with another girl in England right now?"_

"_Please stop saying that! He will never do that!" Misaki shouted, more to herself rather than to the person she was facing. She received that kind of comments from her friends at college when they heard about her relationship status, but it didn't affect her. They never know him, that's why they could say anything and it would never bother her in the least. But when Hinata said it to her, she felt emotionally disturbed even though she knew that he said it because he was upset. _

_That kind of thought was bound to appear in her mind whether she allowed it or not, especially on those days when she needed his presence and he wasn't there. She wasn't perfect. She had her ups and downs, and there were times when doubt preoccupied her mind. So when she heard it directly from Hinata, she felt as if her inner thought was the one who had spoken to her._

_Hinata immediately regretted the words he had spoken mindlessly just now. He didn't mean to hurt her and honestly he didn't think about Takumi that way. He didn't know why those horrible words slipped out from his mouth in the first place. He knew that he needed to fix it in one way or another, but when he saw the pain he caused that was visible in her eyes, the guilt he felt drove him speechless for a few seconds before he was back to his senses._

_Just before he pulled himself together and opened his mouth to utter his apology, Misaki beat him to it._

"_Shintani… You said that you would do anything to make me happy… Will you leave me alone if I say so?" Misaki said without looking at him. She knew that he would never give up on her unless she put an end to it. It was a hurtful decision, but she had to do it for their sake. They had been on that path for too long. She knew that she would never turn to him, and he deserved someone better, someone who would love him from the bottom of her heart, and that someone wasn't her._

_Hinata stood still. That words he just heard from Misaki felt like million stabs in his chest. He was unable to digest it in his mind. It was the last thing he ever thought Misaki would say. He felt his body limped as he lost his strength. It was the worst day ever._

_End of Flashback…_

That was when their relationship changed and that day marked the day when she lost her very best friend. Nobody could ever predict that everything would end up that way, not even Misaki. She didn't know whether it was right or wrong, or was that the best decision she had made or the worst ever, but it was her choice. Nothing could ever turn everything back to the way it used to be, but yet, every single decision, every single step she took, that's what made her the way she was.

She kept asking herself since the day Takumi left for England, why couldn't she hold back the pain and loneliness even though she worked so hard to get through each day and night so that she wouldn't have to remember how long had it been since the last time he was there with her. It was painful yet amazing, because even though it had been seven years since the last time she saw him, the fact that she couldn't escape those emotions up until that day had evidently showed her how deep her real feelings toward Takumi.

However, when she looked back into every important moment she had passed without Takumi, she couldn't help but feeling an empty space in her life, it was incomplete without him.

The day when she decided to leave her mother and sister to go to Tokyo, to seize the opportunity that Takumi had managed to obtain for her, the day when she graduated as the top scholar in the Faculty of Law, the day when she received The Best Lawyer Award in high-profile legal practice in Tokyo, the day when she was appointed an executive corporate attorney of one of the biggest financial company in Japan, and also when she was finally able to take her family to live with her in Tokyo after she cleared off their debts, and all of other things that she managed to do out of her struggle to catch up to him, to be eligible to stand beside him on her own feet.

A bitter smile appeared on her beautiful face as she realized how ironic that was, if only fate didn't infuse such a twist into her life, she might not find the strength to face everything ahead of her and there might not be as many things she could have achieved. If only she didn't meet him, everything would have turned out differently.

But whatever happened, it was the choices that she made that brought her to her current state. Even her being there in the park every year, too, was driven by the choice that she made despite of all the disappointment she held for him.

As she felt the night breeze turned cold, she realized how long she had been sitting there and a while later she stood up, ready to leave the place. As she walked through the gate of the park, she turned to look around the place with a longing look, as if it would be the last time she might be there. _Seven years… I wonder how much longer I'll be able to do this… Will I still be here next year? I don't know…_ Misaki sighed and walked away.

Misaki was walking down the street towards the last place she would always visit just before she made her way back to Tokyo as the snow started to fall over her head. She stopped walking as she saw the high-rise building across the street that held so many memories of him. She slowly directed her sight to the topmost area of the building as her heart beat faster, filled with the remaining hope she held. But as she looked at the unlit windows of the apartment that she used to visit on a daily basis a few years back, she felt disappointment saturated her heart once again.

The longing was a pain that left a heavy pressure on her chest. For the past seven years, she came to that place with hope that ended up shattered every time. She knew that the pain would only get steepened every time she came to that place and found out that he wasn't there, but she came anyway because she just couldn't think of one single thing that mattered more than just to savor the possibility to see him again. It was a way to stay close and to feel like he was there, a way to hold on to the promise they made to each other.

But after years of insatiable yearning and shattered hopes, she felt like she was nearly losing all of her hope and faith. She started to wonder, what would she do if Takumi never came back? What would she become? Would she be able to forget all of the memories of him and moved on? Did she actually want to move on? All that sort of things was stuck in her head and she felt like she would never be able to escape from it.

She was too deep in thought that she didn't realize when the snowfall got heavier. It was freezing cold but in contrast, she felt something hot converged in the back of her eyes. She tried her best to hold the tears from falling down her face, but she soon realized that it was a futile attempt when she felt her wet cheeks. The snow that fell on her face melted with the tears and the hot water immediately turned icy cold, leaving a stinging pain to her cheeks.

She shivered as the cold wind started to blow her over as she instinctively hugged herself to keep her warm. But suddenly she felt something light and warm flunked onto her shoulder as if it fell down from the sky to protect her from the cold. She moved her gaze to the thing that comfortably encircled her neck while running her fingers through it and soon recognized the familiar white-colored muffler and the untidy stitching all over it. Her heart started to pound three times faster than it normally did upon realizing how it could end up right there on her shoulder and her heart tingled with newfound hope as she slowly turned around to face the owner.

She was greeted by the warm smile of a very attractive man with beautiful jade green eyes and golden hair, the man that she had been waiting for in the past seven years and the man that occupied her mind even in her wildest dreams.

"Takumi…." She called the name that was only allowed being spoken in her mind for the past seven years. Hearing her own voice speaking his name in her ears suddenly brought awakening senses that stirred from within. It wasn't the feeling that she had whenever she woke up after having a dream that felt so real, a dream about him. No… It wasn't a dream. He was right there in front of her.

_To be continued….  
_-|φ|-

**Author's note:**

I can guess what you guys probably have in mind right now… What a cliffhanger, isn't it? I can't help it, so sorry for this, guys! I need to end it here because I'll have to make it longer for the next chapter. But I'll make it up to you in the next chapter, so please don't be mad at me :)

In the mean time, please tell me your opinion about this chapter, I'll be really please to receive feedbacks from the readers, it will help me to improve more and lifted my spirits to write more and faster *hint ^^

Sorry for the mistakes anywhere in this story, if you guys found it while reading, please tell me and I'll correct it as soon as I can. And as usual, if you guys have any doubt or if you want to ask something about the story, feel free to PM me, I'll respond as quickly as I can too!

The promise will probably finish in the next chapter or two, if I can accomplish it, I will end it in the next chapter + epilogue. But it all depends on the amount of time that I have to write and how quickly the idea come and hit me while writing, but I will definitely finish it soon :)

Last but not least, thanks a lot for reading, guys! See you in the next chapter! ^^

Cheers,

-Fin-

August 02, 2011.


	9. The Decision

Hey, guys! Here we meet again! Thanks for the kind supports for this story, I hope you'll like this chapter!

I'm dedicating this chapter to the anonymous readers that I haven't been able to directly say thanks to : **ScarletGaze, Saturn****, ****John Smith lol, Nameless, Dreamer, teertha, shadowrider, AznLee, Kitty, and Isabella kwms.**

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF THE SUPPORTS!

I have a change of plan for this story, and I put the details in the author's note below, please find it and without further blabbering, please enjoy reading this chapter!

-|φ|-

**Disclamer: Although I would be more than happy if KWMS would be mine, but unfortunately it still isn't, so I'll say it again, I have nothing to do with KWMS or Maid-sama, I'm just a fan.**

_Flashback from previous chapter…_

_She was greeted by the warm smile of a very attractive man with beautiful jade green eyes and golden hair, the man that she had been waiting for in the past seven years and the man that occupied her mind even in her wildest dreams._

"_Takumi…." She called the name that was only allowed being spoken in her mind for the past seven years. Hearing her own voice speaking his name in her ears suddenly brought awakening senses that stirred from within. It wasn't the feeling that she had whenever she woke up after having a dream that felt so real, a dream about him. No… It wasn't a dream. He was right there in front of her. _

_End of Flashback…._

"Yes… It's me… Misaki…" Takumi replied softly while giving her his signature grin that was enough to make any girl's heart melt in an instant. He definitely didn't lose his charm over the years, but in fact it only added more charming features to the way he looked. His figure was slightly taller and very well built, his hair was a bit shorter and tidier, making him looked more business like, his eye color darkened, his facial line was firmer, and his jawline hardened, adding more charisma and maturity to his whole appearance. There was no words that could describe how incredibly appealing he was, more than anyone Misaki had ever see, not even his old self would compare.

Misaki fell silent for a few moments. Not only his appearance made her stunned, but also the way he talked to her. She felt something tingling in her ears as she heard him saying her name. His voice sound a bit different from the way she used to remember, it had matured a lot, but didn't lose its playful tone that used to make her think that he was teasing her all the time. She had no doubt that the extremely attractive man who was standing right in front of her eyes was the same man who used to be in her memory for so long, but somehow it almost felt unreal. Her heart started to pound harder and quicker when she felt nervousness ran through her veins as he observed her closely with his magnetizing emerald eyes.

Misaki didn't realize it when he stretched out his hands toward her. She gave a short gasp and abruptly looked at him questioningly when she felt Takumi's warm touch on her cold skin as he tried to straighten the muffler around her neck. He slightly smiled at her, noticing the awkward aura between them before he released his hold on the muffler. Misaki didn't say anything more. It was a really weird situation between them.

"It looks good on you…" Takumi said while smiling warmly at her as he backed away a little bit as if trying to give her some space, but didn't move his gaze away from her eyes. Takumi could sense her awkwardness and discomfort toward him that would explain that jumpy reaction from her side, so he decided to look at the situation thoroughly before acting further.

"Ah… this… You still keep it… " Misaki said while running her fingers through the muffler she made for him as a Christmas gift eight years ago, the day when they confessed their true feelings to each other and also the day when their relationship as a couple begun. She was startled by how similar the situation was back then to the way they were right at the moment. It was also in the middle of winter and it was freezing cold. They were also standing face to face with each other, trying hard to utter something that was kept deep within their hearts, but the way she was feeling at the moment was somehow different.

She in fact didn't know how to behave in front of him at the moment, as she was confused beyond anything she had ever come to pass. It was as seems she was in the middle of the past and present, and it was sort of coming together at once, which made her unable to keep her calm. She somehow had a weird feeling as she looked at how different he was from her memory.

It wasn't because she didn't like what she saw, it was not the case at all, because any girl would have fallen head over heels at the first sight of him. It was more because she still couldn't believe that it was real and he was finally back to see her again, but at the same time some shred of doubt and fear was taking over her because it was just too good to be true, and she was afraid that it wouldn't turn out the way she had imagined it to be. She wondered if his feelings had changed, why it took him so long to be back, was he really come back to be with her, or was it the opposite. Those kind of bad feelings wouldn't disappeared from her mind no matter how hard she ignored them.

"Of course… As it is from you…" Takumi replied calmly, completely in contrast to Misaki's nervous state on the outside, but inside of him, he was nervous all the same. He couldn't wait to know how had she been all these years without him around. He wanted to know what had that seven years gap did to them, would he still be the special person in her heart, would she give him the chance to make up for his absence all the while, but the biggest question in his mind was whether their feelings were still attached to each other or was it just him alone.

"Is that so? I thought you have forgotten all about me." Misaki said, surprising herself as she realized how sarcastic she sounded. In the last few years, she had been very content loving and confiding in this one special person, the man who had came back to see her at last, just like how she always hoped. But right at the moment, the doubt and fear she experienced just now was preventing her from reacting the way she had imagined she would be if only the same situation would happen four years ago.

Takumi's eyes widened when he heard the words she just said, but he was more streaked by the look of her eyes. Yeah, he couldn't have missed it. It was hurtful to see such skepticism in her eyes but yet he was fully aware that he was the one who caused it. That's when he realized that the chance of them being back together was running thin, but whatever happened, whatever she decided to do, he would accept it all, because he knew that he deserved it after what he had done to her. "I will never be able to forget you, Misaki… I just want to be clear about that… But you have every right to be mad at me… I'm really sorry… for everything…"

"You said that you will never be able to forget me, but you think that I can, right? That's why you sent me the letter. You are kind enough to release me from our promise…" Misaki said while looking away. She couldn't let him see how hurt she was when she said those words to him.

"Misaki… That's not what I meant…" Takumi looked at her and somehow felt a stinging pain in his chest. He felt like nothing he could say would make everything better, but he needed to clear off everything before she jumped into wrong conclusion. "I just wanted to give you the choice that you deserved. You are too valuable for me, I can't put you in that uncertain situation. You—"

Misaki cut him off before he could say anything more. She clenched her fist and her heart was racing wildly as those words of disappointment blurted out from her mouth. "What do you think I would do? You know that I hate it the most that I don't have the power to protect you from your family, and even if I'm dying to see you I can't selfishly leave my family to run after you… I can only wait and believe that someday… you will come back to me because you promised! We promised! I believe that as long as we have faith in each other, we can go through everything. But you took away the only thing that I can hold onto when you decided to write the letter. You showed me that you doubted my ability to stick with the promise just because of uncertainty! I told you before…I will never give up on you! And I meant every word! After what I've said, why… can't you understand?"

It was a moment of contradictions inside of her. Her heart pulsed erratically as though it didn't want to remain in its encasement. The blood pounding in her ears was deafening, drowning the words that was uttered in pain. She couldn't gasp a full breath though her chest heaved as she sucked in too much air. At the last words, her voice trembled as she was losing control of her emotions and her eyes gave that burning sensation as the tears quickly converged by the corner of her eyes, ready to pour out if only she would let it loose.

The words echoed in Takumi's mind like an unending transcription as realization streaked him hard. Silence immediately took over the air between them, as he couldn't bring himself to respond shortly to her outpouring emotion. He honestly didn't see it coming, at least not for that reason.

He had decided that he wouldn't tie her up with the promise they made, because she didn't deserve that kind of treatment. He wanted her to know that because he loved her too much, he would set her free even though it broke his heart to do it, because whatever happened, he would never be able to let her go, that was the reason why he decided to write the letter, to give her the freedom that she deserved. But he didn't realize that the result would be the opposite. She had once again surprised him with her own way of assessing things, something that only his lovely demon president could have done to him.

Stillness continued to dominate the whole surroundings for the moment, as there wasn't any voice coming from any of them. The quiet atmosphere of the neighborhood also made it somehow felt like they were in their own world. The street was deserted, as if they were the only foolish people around who would stay on the street in that kind of weather. None of them realize it though, because they were too busy arguing with their own inner thoughts.

Then suddenly Takumi took a few steps closer to her while closing the gaps between them and embraced her petite body tightly, immediately transmitting enormous amount of warmth into her as their body pressed together. "I'm sorry… I'm really sorry, Misaki…" He said regretfully to the woman who was stupefied in his embrace, unable to react to his sudden action out of her extreme surprise. His left hand caressed her hairs softly while his right hand tightened his embrace as if it was still possible.

Misaki felt the tears that she had been holding stubbornly by the corners of her eyes finally fell down on her cheeks the moment she felt his strong arms embraced her in such a way that was so familiar to all of her senses. She abruptly reminded to the feeling she had whenever he embraced her back then, and the gentleness he was emitting every time he enfolded her in his arms and when his fingers caressed her hairs lovingly just like he was doing right at the moment. She closed her eyes as she felt her doubt and fear disappeared along with her hesitation and the burden that was weighing in her heart all of those years altogether lifted by his warmth.

Her hands unconsciously clutched the sides of his jacket while drowning her face onto his shoulder and at the same time tightening their embrace. She could hear their hearts beating equally fast and realized that she wasn't the only person who was so nervous at the moment. They hugged each other tightly and quietly for a few moments without saying anything, savoring the moments that both of them had been waiting for so long. Misaki's body trembled by the overflowing emotions that were running through her veins as the tears streamed down from her eyes like an unending flow.

"I'm responsible for everything that you have been through all these years, all of your pain and disappointment towards my inability to fulfill your hopes… I have selfishly used up seven years of my life for my own objectives without including you in it, and what's worst, I've hurt you so bad… I know that whatever I'd do, I can't change the past and undo every pain you had been feeling for these years, Misaki… But if you will allow me, I will make it up to you… because I'm here now to tell you that… the rest of the time in my life… belongs to you…"

Misaki wasn't sure what did he mean by his last sentence, and while wiping her wet cheeks, she abruptly pulled herself away from his embrace to look at him in the eye while asking him directly. "What do you mean?"

He gave her a very charming smile instead, as if he expected that kind of reaction. Then he slowly bended his knees before her and knelt down right in front of her while taking out a small red-colored jewelry box and by the time his knee touched the ground, he opened the box to reveal a very beautiful and elegant-looking diamond ring. The ring polished by modern round brilliant diamond cuts with perfect facet arrangements and proportions. It was simple but yet able to mesmerize anybody who laid their eyes on it.

But that wasn't the thing that made her unable to react shortly. She was more stunned by the way he presented the ring that he was holding in front of her and how his jade green eyes sparkled in hope as he was down in his bended knee. Misaki gasped as her heartbeat accelerated uncontrollably. She had never been so nervous in her life before, and neither did he.

"Misaki, being separated from you all these years without even spending one single day of not thinking about you had made it even clearer to me… I love you with all my heart and I can't live without you… I want to live the rest of my life with you… I pledge to take care of you and to always put your well being before mine… I will always be there for you, whenever and wherever you need me… I can't promise a life without difficulties, but I can promise that I will always hold your hands and go through it together… So Ayuzawa Misaki… will you marry me?"

She wasn't able to let out a single reply to his question out of the extreme shock she was having over the sudden proposal. Silence once again filled the air between them. A few moments passed without a single word came out from her mouth, and it started to make him worried.

"Idiot…." was the first thing that she said to him, but then gradually a genuine and heartfelt smile hovered in her lovely face as she said. "Why do you always have a very bad timing for everything, you are really an idiot… Saying it out of nowhere, how do think I can answer it properly?"

"So… Is it a no?" Takumi asked innocently, while showing a disappointed expression although he was 99.99% knew what she had in mind. He was her perverted alien after all.

"It's a yes, idiot!" Misaki said loudly, which earned her the famous smirk from the perverted alien of hers.

Then without saying anything more he pulled her into his embrace once again and held her tightly. He had been given a second chance and he promised himself that he would never ever again let go of the woman he was holding in his arms. It was the best feelings he ever had in his life, the overflowing happiness that was evoked from his heart, together with the warmth that came out from within, flowing inside of him like never before.

"I love you, Misaki…" He said as he kissed the crown of her head before he let go of her body while taking her right hand into his.

"I love you too, Takumi…" Misaki said as pink blush emerged on her smooth cheeks by his intense look on her face.

Then Takumi took out the diamond ring from its case and slipped it on Misaki's ring finger. Misaki felt tickling feelings as the ring rested on her finger like it belong there from a long time ago.

This time, they would never let anything came between them, and this time, they would never let go of each other whatever happened.

That was the moment that they would never forget for the rest of their lives. It was the moment when the fire in their hearts lit up once again. It wasn't a fantasy or nostalgia. It was love that were interrupted, love that lasted the second time around, the rekindled romance that was bloomed once again because of their faith to one another that never wore off even though it was tested by time. It is true love.

EXTRA:

Takumi leaned closer while whispering in her ears, making her shivered by the seductive voice he was producing. "So, my fiancé… May I kiss you now?"

"N…No, idiot! We're in the middle of the street, someone might see us!" Misaki took a step back, and directed her gaze to their surroundings. There wasn't anybody around, but she wouldn't take the risk. The perverted alien would go all the way if he had the slightest chance, and she wouldn't let it happen, especially when there was a chance that somebody might see it.

"I don't care… In two weeks' time, we'll be kissing in front of everybody in the whole world anyway…" He said calmly while uttering the fact that would have been so shocking to most woman like it was a casual thing, if the woman he said it to realized the meaning behind it, that is.

"Well, I care! Wait…What? Two weeks? And what's with kissing in front of the whole world? What do you mean, idiot? What are you planning to do?"

Takumi didn't reply, but he took her hands instead and walked towards the apartment building with her tagging along.

"Wait! Where do you think you're taking me? Let me go!" Misaki forcefully let go of his hand, and stopped walking. "Answer me, idiot! I'm not going to let you drag me along without knowing anything!"

"You are still a stubborn woman, I see… I don't have other choice then…" He said, and in just one move, she found herself being carried around in his arms bridal style and was on their way towards the door of the building the moment she realize it. How he was able to pull that off was still unknown but she was more concerned about what was going to happen instead of thinking about it.

"Let me down, pervert! What do you think you are doing?" She shouted as she struggled in his arms, which of course was a futile attempt against his strong grip.

"I'm fulfilling my other promise, and I don't think you want me to do it in public, although I won't mind at all, my fiancé…"

_To be continued….  
_-|φ|-

**Author's note:**

Hey, guys! Well, I have to tell you something, and I don't know whether you will consider it as a good news or bad news. Because of some circumstances, I can't finish the story in this chapter. So, I decided to split it into two last chapters, which means I'll write one more chapter + epilogue before I claim "The promise" as a completed story. But before that, I have to say my apology in advance because I'll have to delay my other last chapter because something came up and I'll have to leave the town for about two weeks, so I'm sorry! I hope you guys will wait for it.

After my ramblings, let's talk about this chapter. I put so many hints in this chapter for what will happen after this, I hope you'll tell me about what do you think is going to happen, given the information I gave above :p I will dedicate the last chapter to the first reviewer who answered correctly, but of course you'll know who got it right on the next chapter, so please be patient! ^^

I also wanted to ask your opinion about this chapter if you guys don't mind, I'll be so happy to read it :) Sorry for the mistakes you might've found, as I didn't proofread it more than once. I hope you did enjoy reading this chapter and still be waiting for the next.

Last but not least, thank you so much for reading, see you all in the next chapter!

Cheers,

-Fin-

Sept 3, 2011.


	10. The Fulfillment

Dear all readers, I'm really sorry for slacking off for a very loooooooooong time. I had something important to deal with and somehow it took almost all of my time, and drained my power and mood to write. So I'm really sorry.

Please enjoy this last chapter of The Promise. I hope you'll like it.

-|φ|-

**Disclaimer: I do not own maid-sama. **

_Flashback from previous chapter…_

"_Let me down, pervert! What do you think you are doing?" She shouted as she struggled in his arms, which of course was a futile attempt against his strong grip._

"_I'm fulfilling my other promise, and I don't think you want me to do it in public, although I won't mind at all, my fiancé…"_

_End of flashback…_

Takumi successfully carried Misaki to the lift area despite of her protest along the way and by the time the lift door slid open, Takumi took her inside the empty elevator, still being carried in his arms.

"Alright, I got it! I won't struggle anymore, so can you _please_ let me down?" Misaki said as he pressed the button to let the elevator take them to the top-most floor, where his apartment was located. She finally gave up to his will, because she knew that she wouldn't be able to escape from him if he didn't let her, and struggling would only make it worse because it would only entertain him all the more.

"Eh? I thought that you like being carried around in my arms, Misa-chan…" Takumi said while smiling naughtily at her, which earned him a deadly glare from the beautiful woman in his arms.

"As if! Let me down now, pervert!" shouted Misaki, obviously started losing her temper as her demonic aura started to spread around the elevator.

Takumi slowly put her down, sad expression was evidently visible on his handsome face. "Misa-chan is still as cruel as ever… Is it wrong for wanting to be as much closer as I can to you after being separated for so long?"

Hearing him saying those words while making such a cute expression that resembled a lonely puppy, Misaki's demonic aura abruptly alleviated to its minimum level in no time, replaced by a cute pink blush that appeared beautifully on her cheeks. "Ukh… I didn't say that it's wrong, but we're in public place, just behave yourself, will you?"

"Hmm… Does it means that once we're in a private place, we can—" Takumi's mouth was forcefully shut by Misaki's hand as she knew what embarrassing words he was trying to say, and she wouldn't let him say it in front of her.

"You! You are still a hopeless pervert! Don't you feel embarrassed at all for saying something like _that_ at this kind of place?"

"Something like what? I don't get what you mean at all, Misa-chan…" Takumi asked innocently.

"Stop playing innocent, idiot Takumi! I know what you were trying to say, and I don't want to hear it at all!" Misaki said stubbornly while avoiding his observing eyes that suddenly sent pleasant shivers down her spine. She knew that she had to switch the topic immediately or it would change to a not-so-decent conversation in just a matter of seconds, but she knew it was too late when she saw his eyes glinted mischievously as that sexy smirk of that handsome man graced his face.

"Nee… Misaki, don't tell me you were thinking of perverted things that you want to do with me once we are all alone…" Takumi said seductively as his hand ran through her smooth jet-black hairs while his fingers played with it.

Misaki felt her cheeks started to give off burning sensations as she felt how close he was, with his slender fingers playing in his hairs, and the intensity of his stare made it even worse. Her heart started to pound harder in her chest, betraying the attempt of her brain to calm her nerves.

Takumi could feel her fluttered with nervousness and couldn't help but thinking about how cute she was, especially when that cute blush adorned her face and thus made her look more adorable than ever. He smiled at that sight of his beautiful fiancé. He was so happy, for finally able to see his favorite expression of her again, the expression that always able to cheer him up whenever he pictured it in his mind, at the most difficult time. _As I thought… Nothing beats this lovely sight of you, Misaki…_

"Who—Who would think of _that_ thing, I—I'm not you, pervert!" Misaki stuttered while throwing her gaze to the carpeted floor, refusing to let him see her flushed cheeks. _Why am I stuttering? This stupid alien, how can he still have this kind of effect on me? _It had been so long since the last time she had such a close proximity with him, therefore, to be approached by him in that kind of seductive way made her difficult to calm down.

Takumi chuckled when he saw her clutching her fist, fidgeting while standing nervously without looking at him. "Hmm… It doesn't sound so convincing to me… let me check first." He said as he snaked his left hand to encircle her waist while his right hand cupped her chin and gave it a little push upwards, preventing her from turning away. As their eyes met, he smiled charmingly at her and at the same time closed in the distance between them.

Misaki closed her eyes the moment she felt his warm lips touched hers gently. The familiar and pleasurable feelings that spread around her body through her whole nervous system made her lost in his intoxicating touch on her lips. As he slowly rubbed his lips with hers, she could feel her heart skipped a beat by the element of surprise but at the same time she couldn't help but wanting to feel it more.

A minute later, Misaki found herself kissing Takumi with the same rhythm with the way he kissed her and they were lost in their own sweet yet passionate moment. None of them realized when that little act of teasing suddenly ignited the fire that was kept deep within them, but they knew that both of them were sharing the same thought at that moment. They wanted to be close to each other so bad and they couldn't bear to be apart anymore.

Suddenly the elevator dinged when they reached the top floor, causing both of them to pull away from each other spontaneously. Misaki's face was already blushing severely while Takumi smirked and observed her amusingly with a slight blush on his cheeks. The romantic stimulation they experienced just now was somehow making her feel embarrassed and happy at the same time.

Takumi acted first when he took her hand and led them out of the elevator towards his apartment. Misaki followed him without saying anything and she bowed her head the whole time, avoiding his observing eyes.

Realizing this, Takumi made a sudden stop just a few steps away from his apartment door, causing her to bump onto him.

"What the hell are you suddenly stopping here for?" Misaki said as she rubbed her face while eyeing him angrily.

"Nothing in particular, actually... I just realized something…" Takumi replied nonchalantly as he turned to face her.

"And that is…?" Misaki asked in confusion as the things he said caught her attention, and at the same time successfully shifted the awkward atmosphere they had just a few moments ago.

Takumi stared at her from head to heels while tapping his fingers on his chin. "You… feel— different. I guess time do us some good stuff too, especially to your body—"

Misaki's fist landed on his head before he got to finish his sentence. She was too embarrassed to hear the remaining words that were threatening to came out from the inside of his perverted mind.

"Oww… It hurts you know, Misa-chan?" Takumi said while rubbing his head.

"Blame it to your own perverted mind, pervert! What do you think my reaction would be? Saying thank you for your compliment?" Misaki shouted angrily with sarcastic tone while placing both hands on her waist.

"I was just being honest, is it wrong?" Takumi said pleadingly with his irresistibly cute puppy eyes.

_Damn that puppy eyes! How can I be angry if he's like this! _"W—whatever! Just stop harassing me as you please, will you?"

"Okay... Okay… I won't tease you anymore, so please stay with me, alright?" He said reassuringly, which then replied by a nod from her.

-|φ|-

"So… Do you like it?" Takumi said while looking at the woman who was sitting at the table in front of him.

"Yeah… Your cooking skill is still great, but it will be better if you didn't stare at me the whole time while I'm eating my dinner."

Takumi chuckled and then laughed a little at her straightforward reply. "As I thought… It's really worth it to spend time with you, Misaki…" It had been a really long time since the last time he felt so relax and happy at someone's presence. There really was no other place that was as soothing as being with her, and he couldn't be more thankful that he was able to feel it again.

"What do you mean by that?" Misaki asked curiously at his weird statement.

He smiled, and replied shortly. "Nothing, I'm just happy that you are here."

Misaki didn't say anything but inside, she felt a lift in her heart, feeling somewhat happy for the words that he said to her. She could feel that there was some hidden meaning in his words, and although she didn't know what it was, she knew that he meant every word.

He put his right hand below his chin while supporting it as he continued to look at her while she was eating as if he was looking at the most beautiful scenery that nobody was lucky enough to see. He couldn't get enough of seeing her, because some part of him felt like it was still a dream that he could actually see her so closely.

Misaki on the other hand, was a bit annoyed by his behavior, because the way he looked at her made her unable to act naturally, knowing that he was observing her every move. Then when she realized that he wasn't going to let his sight off her, she complained. "Hey, why are you looking at me like that? You are making me uneasy, you know?"

Takumi chuckled and replied back at her. "Sorry, I can't help it. I just like what I see so much."

"S—Stop it! The way you look at me and the way you talk to me both are making me uncomfortable!" She said harshly but pink blush was spreading on her cheeks, betraying her intention to avoid being affected by his sweet words.

"But what do you reckon I should do in the mean time?" Takumi replied innocently.

"You can start by telling me what had happened to you all these years. Beside the fact that your half brother and your grandfather had passed away and left you with the chaos in Walker Corp to take care of. Oh and you being the CEO of the Walker Corp as well as the most admired business tycoon in England. Well, I think you'd better tell me about something other than the news had provided the world with."

"So I guess you are pretty informed about the things that happened to me in England, I see… It would leave me with only a few things to tell then." Takumi said while tapping his fingers on his chin, trying to think of something to tell her.

"I would like to start with why I decided to leave seven years ago, but I think you have figured out that much at least. The point is my Grandfather needed me to be in charge of the company because of Gerard's weak condition, and the news about his illness was leaking out to the media, that's why my Grandfather used any means necessary to get me to substitute him, that includes threatening me about you and your family's well being. Realizing it, I knew that it was useless to refuse because he had the power to make our lives a misery if he wanted to."

Misaki nodded to him, signaling that she understood and even before he told her about it, she already figured it out.

Takumi then continued speaking after shooting her a grateful smile. "Then after I arrived in England, I was taken to the Walker Corp Head Quarter as my Grandfather's assistant. You can't imagine how people thought about me the first time I was there, the feeling of jealousy and disgust was so noticeable that it hurt to feel the way they looked at me. But it was nothing compared to the way the rest of the Walker family treated me when my Grandfather introduced me as his heir. It was a hard time though, being watched all the time, when they were waiting for the moment when I will make mistake so that they could dictate and attack me until I wouldn't be able to survive being there and in the end being forced to leave their 'empire' with nothing but stained reputation. I could feel it from the very beginning, and to be honest I have no intention to take what belongs to them, but I've made my resolution, that I would fulfill my promise no matter what, even though it's a promise I made to my Grandfather in order to prevent him from threatening your safety."

Misaki was a bit taken aback by his elaboration, and then she remembered about their conversation at the park when he said that he was leaving. "So that was the deal that you said you had with your Grandfather before you leave, something that you can't explain to me at that moment." She said as realization stroke her.

Takumi nodded and smiled slightly, realizing that she still remembered about that detail. "That's right. I was forbidden from telling anything about the deal to you. That's one of the condition he specified to keep you out of this matter, and I'm sorry that I only get to explain this to you now. The deal was for me to promise him that I would spend three years under his supervision or until I'm qualified enough to be his heir to take care of the Walker's whole business until Gerard was healthy enough to undertake the company. I was a perfect choice to be Gerard's substitute because he knew that I have no desire to take over the company and therefore when the time comes, I would gladly hand over the company's control back to Gerard in exchange for my freedom. It's a complete opposite from the other candidates in the family, because every one of them was trying to get into that position to take a hold of the company for money and therefore it's impossible to choose one among them." He paused for a deep sigh before he continued his explanation.

"However, things didn't turn out the way both me and my Grandfather had planned, because Gerard's condition suddenly worsened two years after I arrived in England, and he passed away six months later. Then the situation got worse in no time. Everybody in the family tried to take over Gerard's position in the name of the company's well being, but they were planning to sell the company for money once they got a hold of the whole company. But that old man wasn't a fool, I have to admit. He could see through everything even before his private investigators confirmed the issue. That left him with one choice, which was to make me the heir until he found the eligible candidate." He stopped speaking as he noticed Misaki gave an expression that told him she realized something.

"Yes, Misaki… That's why I wasn't able to come back here in three years time. I was caught up in an awful dilemma when my Grandfather told me about it, but when I knew about his chronic heart disease and the fact that he didn't have much time to live, I was unable to reject his request. Even though I remember how he had threatened me into coming to England, but somehow I understood his feelings, that he would do anything because he didn't want to lose something so dear to him." He said as he smiled meaningfully to her, which made her blush instantly.

"In his case, his company." He added. "So while he was looking for someone he trusted to take over the company, I was assigned as the vice president with himself as the CEO. But then two years ago suddenly I was called up to the Board of Director meeting when he announced that he appointed me to be the next CEO of Walker Corp, succeeding him as he was resigning from his position because of his health. Two days after that, he passed away, leaving me a will which stated that he declared me as his legitimate Grandson and therefore passed down his whole legacy to me." Takumi said as his expression hardened, remembering the rest of the family members' shocked expression that quickly shifted into hatred towards him when the will announced by the Walker's private attorney.

"The will as well as my confirmation as Walker Corp's new CEO soon became a big shocking news in the whole business world in England, which I'm sure you've read before. But I came across some more shocking news from my Grandfather's most trusted personal assistant, Edward, not long after the news announced to the public. He revealed to me that soon after Gerard died, my Grandfather had actually meant to legally address me as his Grandson and gave me the Walker name as well as making me succeed his position as the CEO, but he knew that given the situation, I wouldn't agree. That's why he put it in his will without anyone's notice except for his attorney and Edward. My Grandfather had never intended to find someone else to take over his position, he was able to trick me into waiting for a very long time, what a sneaky old man."

Takumi let out a deep sigh but his expression softened. He admitted that the old man of his was a very expert player in manipulating people into doing what he wanted without realizing it, something that he would never be able to master if he had never worked under his supervision. It was thanks to his rigorous training that not only Takumi was able to run such big financial company in England smoothly, but also even made a very big impact on the increase of the company's profit. Rarely had a major company and industry been so dominated by a single individual, but Takumi's influence went far beyond anyone's expectation. As one success followed by another, the company found itself in a bewildering position under Takumi's hands, which earned him the trust of the shareholders. Nobody in the family could ever question his ability anymore, and naturally the contravention had finally come to an end.

The things that he said to her were much more complicated than what she had imagined before. Even though he knew the big picture of what had happened to him through the news, it was somehow felt like only a very small part in his life at the moment. Then Misaki started speaking while shrugging her shoulders. "Then again, even though you knew that you've fallen into his trick, you are willing to continue the path that he chose for you, is that because you were too caught up to that world?"

He chuckled while turning to her and said. "It's not entirely correct, but you've got a point there. I didn't follow the Walker's path because I want to be rich and powerful, but I felt like it was something that I must do if I want to become someone that is worthy enough to be with you. I knew that I'm different from the people who are always around you, and to be honest even though I don't want to admit it, but no matter how hard I tried, I'll never be able to change that. But after all these years, I've finally understood that I need to cherish my own existence to be able to find my own way. As a man, I promised myself that I had to be a dependable person and thus be able to protect the woman I love in any possible situation. I came to realize it in a hard way, but it was the way it worked. That's why I can't enforce my selfish desire and risking our future life just for a moment of happiness. I knew that sacrifice must be made, and if time should tell whether our destiny are still attached, I'm willing to do it if it meant I would have the slightest chance to live my life peacefully with you forever."

Misaki felt a lift in her heart as she listened to his long-awaited explanation. She couldn't help but being impressed by his way of thinking. He was willing to risk everything even though the chance was as thin as a piece of paper. What had driven him to do that? It was something that she was dying to know.

"Then what are you going to do if you got back and found out that I'm already with someone else?" Misaki asked with hesitation.

Takumi's face stiffened. It was the question that had been spinning in his mind all those lonely years. He had been asking himself what if he just made a huge mistake by risking their relationship just like that? But when he thought about the promise they made, and how much trust she placed in him, he was finally able to go on with that decision. "If you are happy as it is, I'll accept it no matter how hurt I'm going to be… But if you're not, I'll do whatever I can to make you fall for me once again, and I'll never let you go ever again."

Misaki was lost for words by his answer. She was amazed by his patience and touched by his sincerity. At the same time, she got the answer to the question that had been weighing in her mind for so long. She finally knew that by the time she decided to wait for him and believed in him unconditionally, she had made a right decision. It was all worth it, and he totally deserved it. Then she unconsciously smiled to herself as she replied differently. "You know what? You are indeed an idiot..."

Takumi chuckled as he suddenly stood up and walked to her side. He caught her off guard as he placed both of his hands on each side of the chair that she was sitting on while closing their distance until they were only a few inches apart. His eyes glinted mischievously as he realized that Misaki's cheeks reddened by their closeness. "You are smiling, my foxy prez…"

"W—What? D—Don't call me like that anymore!" Misaki stuttered, feeling nervous all of a sudden.

"You are happy to hear that, aren't you, Misa-chan?" He said seductively as he moved his right hand to touch the side of her face and ran his fingers along her neck.

His words brought out more intense color onto her cheeks while her heart responded by beating harder and faster by his teasing tone. "I—I didn't say that! Ah—More importantly! You were saying about fulfilling your 'other promise', right? W—What is it?" She said nervously. She was obviously trying to change the topic quickly to save her from embarrassing herself.

But then she knew that she was asking the wrong question at the wrong time as it brought a tantalizing smile to his handsome face. "You have a very good timing, Misaki… I was just about to do exactly that…" He said as he closed the remaining distance they had.

Misaki's pulse was beating fast and her heart throbbed with overflowing excitement that she hadn't feel for so long as she felt the touch of his lips on hers. His kiss inflicted their burning desire to be closer to one another as an exultant message of the longing of love. It bestowed an intoxicating feeling of infinite passion that was kept inside their hearts, yearning to be released.

Before she could think about how to react, her lips already moved on their own, responding equally to his lustful kisses. They kissed rhythmically and passionately as they let themselves being absorbed in their desire. The familiar feeling of his kisses and the pleasant feeling it brought to her made her unable to stop even though the kiss they were sharing wasn't a gentle one.

It was in that moment that they knew how much they missed each other. The feeling of each other's presence never felt so real in the last seven years of their lives and they wanted to savor the moment for a while longer. 'A while' that they hoped would mean forever.

While still kissing her, Takumi slipped his hands under her body and stood up while carrying her outside the kitchen in bridal style. Misaki realized his movement but didn't think that much about it as her mind was being too occupied by the pleasant feelings that the kiss emitted, she even encircled his neck with her hands to bring them even closer to each other. Takumi smiled inwardly by her action, thinking that she unexpectedly had finally able to chase her resistance-out-of-embarrassment habit away.

Not until they felt suffocated by the lack of air that they finally pulled away from each other. Then only at that very time Misaki realized where he had brought her, and she couldn't help but blushing in seven shades of red as she knew where they were sitting.

She reflexively distanced herself away from him as she shouted her protest. "W—Why are we in your bedroom? And moreover, why are we on your BED?"

"Is that bad?" Takumi replied nonchalantly, as if it was a normal thing to say.

"Y—You… Are you thinking of…" Misaki stuttered as more color adorned her pretty face when she thought about the things that he was probably thinking of.

"Thinking of what?" Takumi said enticingly as he placed his hands and legs at each side of her body on the bed, trapping her while moving his body forward, indirectly pushing her back to rest on the bed.

Misaki could swear her heart skipped a beat as she looked at his jade green eyes as it was sparkling with newfound interest. The throbbing of her heartbeats grew harder while it sent shivers down her spine as she felt him approaching her, and she closed her eyes, expecting his move that didn't come even though a few moments had passed.

Then she heard his voice as he was speaking to her. "Look at me, Misaki…"

Misaki opened her eyes, unexpectedly meeting a serious expression of his, which was completely different from that playful expression he was wearing a few moments ago.

"Are you afraid?" He asked earnestly while keeping a close look onto her face, watching her expression changing by his unexpected question.

"…No. I just didn't expect that… Y—You would suddenly…" She replied nervously.

"I did say that I will do it when we are ready. Although… on second thought, I think we should give us some time to adjust, we just meet each other again after all…"

As she heard his words, she could feel that the man she loved didn't change. His thoughtfulness and patience amazed her over and over again. But she also realized something that she didn't expect. When she learned that he wasn't going to make love to her that night, the feeling of disappointment was overpowering her relief. Could it be that she actually wanted it too but didn't want to admit it? That thought made her cheeks burned with embarrassment and excitement as well.

"But of course I won't disappoint you tonight, Misa-chan… In exchange of that, I'll give you plenty of challenges that will make you remember me every night…" He added as he shot her his mischievous grin and without waiting for her to react, a moment later, his lips already captured hers in a breathtaking kiss.

His hands traveled freely on the sides of her body as their kiss intensified. He tilted his face slightly to deepen their kiss as he continued to give her pleasurable stimulus with his touch. Then he moved his lips down her neck while leaving trail of kisses along the sensitive area of her face. His bold actions flared up the burning desire that she was trying to suppress and after some moments of futile inner struggle, she finally gave up to his will.

Soon a delicious moan escaped her mouth as he kissed and licked her nape, but he didn't stop. He knew that she was enjoying it, and he would give her as much pleasure as she could bear. The thumping of her heart got harder as both of his hands held hers above her head, preventing her from shoving him away and thus gave him full access to her upper body.

"Ta—Takumi… Ahh…" Misaki moaned his name as he bit her in the crook of her neck, while licking and sucking it, leaving a bite mark that was visible enough in a close distance. However, she didn't realize it because the pleasure she was feeling was more than enough to keep her mind attached to that moment only.

He liked the sound of his name being called with such enticing voice by the woman he loved. It made him want to leave the traces all over her body, and that idea thrilled him. Although, he realized that he shouldn't go too far because if he went any more than that, his remaining self-control would be stripped out of him in a matter of mere seconds.

So he moved upwards until his lips met hers and he kissed her softly as he released his hold on her hands. Then he kissed her forehead before he moved backwards and positioned himself beside her on the bed. He spotted a slight disappointment on her face when he pulled away, which made him smirk naughtily as he spoke to her. "Does it enough to preoccupy my fiancé's mind every single night until our wedding night or do you need something more… tantalizing?"

The question made her blush even more, and suddenly she remembered the way she moaned his name just a few minutes ago, which made her feel so embarrassed. "S—Shut up, pervert! Everything that you said is embarrassing!" She shouted while looking away, but then quickly turned around to face him again as she noticed something that made her face heated up. "Wedding night? What do you—"

Before she could finish her question, he suddenly interrupted. "Two weeks from now, Misaki…"

"WHAT? Is that what you mean before? How can you decide it on your own? You should at least ask me first, idiot Takumi!" Misaki shouted, couldn't believe how ridiculous he was.

"I thought I'd give you a surprise, so—"

This time, he was the one being interrupted as Misaki cut him off impatiently. "How many more surprises are you planning to give me in one night, are you trying to give me a heart attack? I wouldn't even be surprised if you've already talked to my mother about marrying me."

"Ah… one more surprise was ruined. How did you know about it?"

"WHAT? When did you do that?"

"It's a secret. But you know, I just want to marry you as soon as possible, I don't want to wait anymore…" He said as the playfulness in his voice disappeared, replaced by a determined tone, and as their eyes met, he asked hesitantly. "Do you not agree, Misaki?"

"Y—You know that I want to be together with you as much as you do…" She said, and without her consent, heat was creeping up her cheeks as she continued. "So how can I not agree…" Her face blushed beautifully, which made Takumi stunned for a few moments.

Then he smiled in relief as he approached her. "Misaki is indeed very cute…" He said as he kissed her left cheek softly and enveloped her petite body in his warmth as he led them to lie on the bed, facing each other.

"So Misaki…" He started while looking deep into her golden orbs.

"Hmm…?"

"Do you want to continue?" He said temptingly as his eyes sparkled with interest, waiting for her reaction.

"Baka Takumi!" Misaki yelled as she raised her fist to send a jab onto his chest, which was caught by him without effort.

Then he moved closer and whispered in her ear softly. "My fierce fiancé… I'll let you off the hook this time, but next time when we are on the bed together, I will not let you escape unscathed. So please prepare yourself."

Those words made her cheeks flushed like never before as sheer of thoughts filled her mind and something tickled her senses as she realized the true meaning of his perverted words. "Perverted outer space alien…" She whispered as she smiled shyly.

"However… In the mean time, you should give this perverted outer space alien a little reward for his patience, don't you think?"

"W—What do you mean?"

"Misaki should let him kiss her as many times as he wants, then it can only be fair, isn't it?" He said as he moved forward to her.

"H—Ha? W—Wait!" Her heart beating twice faster than it was before as she tried to ask for more time to prepare herself, but he didn't stop approaching her.

"Nope. No more waiting. I want my reward now." That was the last thing he said before he kissed her none too gently, leaving no chance for her to protest. He was determined to not let her push him away that night, because he knew, she wanted it too.

_My sly fiancé… I'll fulfill your wish now…_

_**-FIN-**_

**Author's note:**

That's the end of The Promise, I've been through a lot to finish this, I hope I didn't disappoint anyone with this chapter. It turned out differently than how I planned before, as I was going to make an epilogue for this story, but I don't think I can make it. So I'm really sorry for that.

Please tell me your opinion about this chapter as well as the story as a whole. I really enjoyed myself when I wrote this story, and everything was because of your kind supports! Thank you all!

I'll see you all around :)

-Fin-

Dec 04, 2011.


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